A Faraway Land Book Part 1: Merida and Hiccup
by Aurora Mandeville
Summary: From Jamie's book A Faraway Land, Merida and Hiccup's history. (The current events: /s/11430569/1/A-Faraway-Land-1-The-Spell)
1. Brown Bear of Norway: The Bear

Merida woke up early, it was Saturday, her day away from princess duties and lessons. She quickly changed, grabbed her bow and arrows, and rushed to the stables, grabbing a couple of apples and some bread on her way out. She saddled Angus before the two burst past the doors and out into the wilderness beyond. She closed her eyes and breathed in the taste of freedom before concentrating her attention to several targets swinging in her path. With a quick precision, an arrow was imbedded in each one before she left the clearing for a day of exploration. She reined in her horse for a bit so she could eat an apple real quick before continuing on. Going deeper into the forest, she could tell that it had rained rather heavily in the last week. Leaves were still dripping with water, mud sloshed around under Angus' hooves, and the forest smelled strongly of pine, juniper, and oak, deep scents reminiscent of the deep roots still drinking their fill. She breathed it all in as she let Angus amble around for bit before reining him into a direction. The path started to look familiar before she noticed something was off about it. There was trampled grass, broken twigs, and two pairs of prints left ominously by an all-too familiar species.

"Who did she change into bears this time?" She slipped off of Angus but paused, laughter could be heard ahead. She quickly pulled Angus into a clump of bushes and ducked low, curious as to who made that laughter. It wasn't long before the laugher walked into her sights with a group of men, a muzzled bear, and two angry, muzzled dragons.

"Man, that Eret was really loyal to you, wasn't he, Hiccup?" laughed the first guy. Merida instantly thought of Mor'du, he looked as deranged. A woman sauntered to the front.

"And our deal, Dagur?"

"I know, Frieda, you get the bear and I get the dragons. Don't worry, I just need some time to relieve Berk of the rest of its dragons. But how do we do that? Hiccup here can still talk," he told her as he hit the bear.

Frieda chuckled, "It's simple, really, leave him here. By the time it freezes over enough for him to get to Berk, you'll be gone with the dragons, and my daughter will be ready to marry him. Plain and simple, nothing to it, really."

"Good idea. You know, Frieda, you're one of the few people I truly enjoy working with, if not the only one I enjoy working with," he muttered casting a glance over his men. He glanced around the forest, "Here, tie him to this tree, but not too tight, we do want him to get out, eventually." Dagur laughed again as they tied the bear to the tree, the sound of it was really starting to get on Merida's nerves. "Have a nice stay in Scotland, Hiccup, I hear the Scots are hospitable this time of year." This time, Frieda joined in the laughter as the group left, the dragons doing everything in their power to break away, especially the black one, but it wasn't long before the men managed to drag them along and they disappeared into the forest. Merida waited a few minutes before revealing herself to the bear and set about getting him free. She didn't know what she was expecting he would do, if anything at least to go after the dragons, but she seemed rather disappointed when he just slumped to the ground, his face the saddest she had ever seen, or could ever see, on a bear.

"I've ruined everything, everyone, Berk, the dragons, it's all gone. What did I do?" he sighed, sinking his head back into the mud.

"Y-you can talk?"

The bear glanced up at her sharply, "What?"

"Um, you weren't the first person who was changed into a bear."

The bear heaved a sigh, "Go figure, and there's nothing I can do about it now."

"What are you talking about? Why didn't you go after them when I freed you?"

"But what good could I do? I'm a bear now and . . . and I need hands to free Toothless and Skullcrusher."

"Well, I have hands . . ."

"There's still too many for even the four of us to handle. It's just not worth it, not now." He paused before continuing with a sigh, "The only thing I can do now is wait until the winter when I can cross on ice." He sighed again and moved to turn away.

"Wait, give me a minute." She rushed back down the path the group had come from, quickly entering a little cottage nestled beneath some trees. A cauldron sat at the far end of the room, activated by a series of contraptions. Smoke seeped out and a head rose above the cauldron.

"Welcome to the Crafty Carver, home for all your carving and statue needs. I am currently out of stock, but if there is anything you need, leave a message. If you're looking for wedding items, phial one, if you're that crazy Viking, though I'd rather the really nice Viking, phial two." Merida quickly poured the second phial into the cauldron. "Hello Mr. Viking, thank you for your business, I hope you enjoy your product. However, you left before I could fully explain the effects of the spell. Yes, whoever drinks of the potion will turn into a bear and the spell can only be reversed by an act of true love, as requested . . ."

"Requested? She takes requests?"

"Human at night and bear during the day. But, whoever turns into a bear has until the first new moon after the first day of spring to find his true love, or he will be a bear forever. Also, I added something a little extra since I really didn't like the looks of ya, or that woman, if you can call her that. Bleh. If you harm anyone changed into a bear before the first day of spring, you will be changed into a bear for three years. Once the three years are up, you will be returned to human form on the condition that you do not attack that person, or bear, ever again, got it? Have fun! And thanks for shopping at the Crafty Carver!"

"Whoa, what, that . . . that's going to happen? And I have until the first new moon after the first day of spring?" Merida spun around, the bear had squeezed into the doorway.

"Uh, it sounds like it."

"Well, at least I know that if Dagur tried to hurt me he'll turn into a bear for three years."

"Dagur was that crazy guy with the annoying laugh?"

"Uh, yeah . . ."

"And you are?"

"Oh, uh, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, but you can call me Hiccup."

Merida blinked, "What kind of a name is that?"

"It's a tough Viking . . . OK, no it isn't tough-sounding at all. I still have no idea why my parents named me that, unless it was to make hiccups seem more threatening, or if they were already threatened by hiccups."

Merida snorted, "Were you small and annoying but cute?"

"What? Hey! You haven't seen me yet in my human form!"

"Then I'll just have to wait and see when you change back so I can find out if I'm right about you being small."

"Ugh. Who are you, anyway?"

"I am Merida of the Dunbroch clan."

"Oh, right . . . a Scot."

"And someone you can trust. Come on, like I said, this isn't the first time she's changed someone into a bear."

"Oh, that's reassuring. Where are we going?"

"I'll bring you to my home. They'll understand." Merida climbed onto Angus, and led Hiccup to Dunbroch castle.


	2. Brown Bear: Scottish Hospitality

When Merida and Hiccup arrived at the Dunbroch castle, the sun had almost set, and Merida groaned when she noticed there were three new banners sitting on the roof.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked.

"The other three clans are here," she muttered. She sighed before continuing, "Ever since I chose to stay single until I got to know my suitors better, they've been coming every two weeks to let me get to know Wee Dingwall, Young McGuffin, and Young MacIntosh."

"What's wrong with that?"

Merida glanced at him, groaning, "You'll find out soon enough." She climbed off her horse and fed him before leading Hiccup to the main hall. "Wait right here," she whispered, leaving Hiccup behind the castle doors. She wanted to explain a few things before letting him in.

"Ah, Merida, there you are! We were wondering when you were going to show up. Our friends were just telling us about some interesting news," her father greeted her.

"Yeah, there were definitely Viking ships harboured in your bay. They were leaving when we showed up, so I don't know what was going on, but . . ."

"Um, I think I know," winced Merida. Everyone glanced at her, but she glanced at the spot she had left Hiccup. He had a nervous grin on his face when she motioned him to come forward. He sauntered forward nervously, but when they made no move to attack or to hinder him, he moved with more confidence, though he was still unsure of how they would take the fact that he was a Viking, and a chief at that. "Um, this is the reason why they were here."

"Well, uh, me and a few others, actually." The clans gasped.

"He can talk!" sputtered Lord Dingwall.

"Uh, yeah, it's the new potion the witch tried out, as requested."

"Request!" Merida nodded and quickly told everyone what she found out about the witch's potion from her message cauldron.

"What? But why would someone want to turn you into a bear?" Elinor asked Hiccup.

"Um, because I'm Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, the chief of Berk and . . ."

"A Viking!"

Hiccup gave them a look before continuing, "They wanted to get me out of the way without killing me."

"Why is that?"

"Why else, his enemies are all Vikings! Vikings even fight Vikings, you know."

"Fergus!"

"He's actually right, Vikings do fight Vikings, even those who are trying to be peaceful. But, the main reason is that one Viking in particular, Dagur the Deranged, wants all of our dragons to hunt for sport, and my dragon is the rarest of them all, the Nightfury, the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself."

"Whoa, cool!" shouted Merida's brothers.

Hiccup chuckled, "Yeah, he's actually kinda cool, but he is the last of his kind, and, my best friend." He paused and sighed, "There's another reason, a woman named Frieda wants me to marry her daughter so she has some say over what goes on in Berk. The thing is I want to marry someone I love, not because someone wants me to." The Scots shared knowing glances, but when they glanced back at Hiccup, their mouths dropped. Slowly, the bear shimmered and shrunk into the shape of a man, Hiccup toppling over as the changes took place.

"It's night," gasped Merida as Hiccup stood up shakily.

"OK, that was weird. Is there a room I can sleep in? I don't feel too good."

"Of course, this way."

"Uh, b-but he's a Viking!" blurted Lord MacIntosh.

Elinor glared at the men, "And an unarmed one at that. Milords, have you not heard anything the Chief has said?"

"Uh, you can call me Hiccup . . . uh, please," Hiccup grinned nervously under Elinor's stern gaze.

"Oh, I did! Berk has dragons and they want peace . . . right?"

Hiccup's smile had a bit of sorrow in it, "Right, and in order to include the dragons and peace, we've made quite a few changes to our way of life. Um . . ." The triplets had moved closer to Hiccup, examining him.

"Harris, Hubert, Hamish! What are you doing?"

"Whoa, how'd you lose your leg?"

"The peg is made of metal!"

"Did you make it?"

"Whoa! Uh, yeah, I made it, and I lost it . . . in a fight against a bad dragon. I wouldn't be here if . . . it hadn't been for Toothless."

"Alright boys, it's time for you to get to bed. Hiccup, come on, I'll take you to a room. Merida, go get some food from the kitchen for him. Milords, we'll speak more when I return." There were several grumbles about Vikings before Elinor's glare made them stop. She led Hiccup up the stairs once she knew they had finally quieted down. She showed him to a room where Merida soon joined them with a platter of meat, bread, and fruit.

"Oh, thanks," mumbled Hiccup before taking a long draught from the cup she set down on the dresser.

"Will you be alright?" Elinor asked.

Hiccup nodded, "I think so, I'll just eat a bit before going to sleep."

"Alright, sleep well, I'll try to keep them quiet."

Hiccup smiled weakly, "Thanks, to both of you."

"Don't thank us yet, we haven't gotten you back home or your dragon back," said Merida before her mother ushered her out. Hiccup just continued smiling after they left. He finally listened to his stomach and ate some food before falling into a deep sleep.


	3. Brown Bear: Searching for Eret

In the weeks that followed, the Scots got to know Hiccup better. They finally understood that this Viking could be trusted, and it became their wish to help him find Eret and get him back home in the hopes of gaining a new ally. The Scots helped Hiccup search far and wide throughout Scotland, but it seemed that either Eret left for England, or he found an amazing hiding place that even Hiccup with his acute senses couldn't find. In the meantime, as gratitude for helping him with searching for Eret and giving him a place to rest his head, Hiccup showed them all the tricks of a dragon rider, even teaching them about the different kinds of dragons. The Scots learned eagerly and quickly, even letting Hiccup use their smithy to show them how to make saddles.

Summer soon drifted into autumn, and many Scots had to stop in the search for Eret to tend to the harvest. Thinking that he must have gone into England, or hopefully that winter would drive him out out of his hiding place, Hiccup put a hold on the search to help the Scots in their autumn chores.

"You really didn't have to do that, you know," Merida told him the night after his decision.

Hiccup sighed as he bite into an apple, "I know, but we've searched everywhere, and no one wants to go into England right now. Especially since I don't want a war on my hands."

Merida impersonated an older Scot, "Right. Oh, we're only invading England because we're looking for a bear." The two laughed.

"Yeah, maybe he'll finally come out when the snows come."

"Who knows, maybe the reason why you can't find him is because he's looking for you!"

He munched thoughtfully, "Maybe you're right, and we keep missing each other because of it. So if I stay here long enough, he just might find me."

Merida nodded, "Yeah, it's worth a try, at least until autumn is over. Then you resume your searching when winter comes."

"Well, it's worth a try . . . I just wish I could find him sooner so we could back to Berk. And . . . and to apologize. He figured out right away that something was amiss, but I was still clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe Dagur had finally listened to reason and had changed. But I was wrong, again. My dad was right about Drago, and now he's gone."

"I'm sorry, that must have been really hard on you," Merida stated after a few minutes of silence.

Hiccup sighed, "You have no idea."

"What was your dad like?"

"Do I really have to talk about it?"

"Not if you don't want to . . ."

"I mean, your dad . . . your dad reminds me so much of him, and your mom . . . sometimes I feel like I'm still on Berk. What's so funny?" Merida had burst out laughing, probably at the worst possible moment.

"Oh, sorry, I just thought of me dad dressed as a Viking." She paused, but she couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing again. Hiccup sighed and thought about it before he too burst out laughing.

"Alright, I can see how that's funny." The two laughed for a bit longer before finally calming down, Hiccup's former somberness slowly setting back in.

"But really, I'm sorry, it wasn't nice of me to burst out laughing like that when you were being homesick."

Hiccup smiled, "That's alright, your dad would look funny in Viking clothes."

She snickered, but cleared her throat and got serious, "So, my dad reminds you of yours?" Hiccup gave a slight nod. "Really? Ya sure?"

"OK, your dad isn't exactly like my dad, but they did have a lot in common. They both certainly liked a good fight," Hiccup grinned nervously.

Merida chuckled, "But I think my dad likes it more than your dad."

"Yeah, that sounds more like it. But no matter what, I can really only remember the good things about him."

"Hmm . . . that's usually the case," she smiled knowingly at him.

Hiccup gave a little chuckle, "Yeah. So, um, I hear you turned your mom into a bear."

"Oh yeah, about that . . . I nearly lost her because of that."

"Well, guess we're not as different as we first thought," said Hiccup as he rose from the table to go to bed. Merida stayed at the table a few minutes more, thinking about their conversation, when Elinor found her.

"Merida, why are you still up? It's time for bed." Elinor noticed the look on Merida's face. "What are you thinking about?"

"Hmm . . . oh, just a few things Hiccup said," replied Merida as she rose from the table.

Elinor repressed a smile as the two walked toward Merida's room, "Oh? Hiccup again, is it? You keep thinking about a lot of things he says. Maybe I should ask him to give you your lessons."

"What? No! Besides, he has other things on his mind."

"A lot of which he seems eager to share with you."

"Mom, I'm the only one here who's close to his age, and we kind of have an understanding, especially with parents." Merida cast her eyes down as her lips formed a frown.

"Ah, I see, well, at least you're cheering him up, making him feel welcome in a strange land. That's definitely a good start."

"A good start for what?" Merida eyed her mother with suspicion.

"For an alliance between us and Berk."

"Oh? Really? I hadn't thought of that."

"And we have been learning some things about dragons from Hiccup too, though there aren't many dragons in this parts."

"If Dagur left any for us, he probably hunted them all down the first chance he got."

"Well, then we shall just have to help him get their dragons back so we can have our own, but that means we have to find Eret first so the two can go home and have their true loves break the spell. I do hope he comes out in the winter."

"Me too, I was wondering if he might have been looking for Hiccup at the same time as we were looking for him, and we couldn't find him because he kept moving."

"That's a good point. Well, you should get to bed, Merida, there's still a lot to be done, and I want everyone to help Hiccup look for Eret whenever the chance arises, alright?"

"Right, goodnight Mom." Merida hugged her mother before going to bed.

The Scots continued to gather the harvest over the next few weeks, Merida and her brothers usually being the only ones available to help Hiccup in looking for Eret whenever he decided to give it another shot. When Samhain came around, he still was nowhere to be found. Hiccup was on the verge of despair, the first day of winter was less than a month away, and they still hadn't found a single sign of Eret. The Dunbrochs hoped the Samhain festivities would at least cheer him up, take his mind off his problems for a bit, but nothing really seemed to work, until Merida came along with an idea.

"Hiccup! What are you doing moping around instead of joining in the party?"

Hiccup sighed, "I don't have anything to celebrate."

"You still have time to find him, and you've met us. Isn't that worth celebrating, new allies? And you got to share your knowledge of dragons with us."

"That's true."

"So, will you celebrate with us now?"

"Well, I don't know how."

Merida snorted, "Well that's easy, I can show you! Come on, it's not that different than learning about dragons." She grabbed his arm and dragged him into the festivities, showing him exactly how the Scots celebrated the new year. They went bobbing for apples, participated in the evening tournament (which Merida won), and went around sampling treats. Close to the end of the evening, Hiccup caught Merida looking at him a bit strangely.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

Merida laughed, "Yes! A smile! You haven't really smiled since you've been here!"

Hiccup ran a hand through his messy mop of hair, "Yeah, I guess not, I've been so concerned with finding Eret that I haven't had much fun. Thanks."

"For what?"

"For getting me out to have a good time. It was fun."

"Glad you liked it. What do you think of the Scottish way of celebrating?"

Hiccup shrugged, "I don't know, doesn't seem that much different from the Viking way, though we'd probably being doing more things inside right now since it would be so cold outside."

Merida snorted, "That cold, eh?" Hiccup grinned and nodded. "Then I guess this weather would more like summer on Berk, right?"

Hiccup laughed, "Almost, a little bit warmer, though, but pretty close."

"H-Hiccup?" Hiccup's eyes widened as he and Merida glanced around for the owner of the voice. A figure meandered out of the shadows before toppling over.

"Eret!"


	4. Brown Bear: Homeward Bound

It took a week to get Eret away from the brink of death, and another week before he could stand on his own two feet again. Hiccup, now relieved that his friend was nearby and on the mend, set a date for their departure, the last day of December. He also managed to learn quite a bit about the Scots before their departure, getting to participate in Merida's lessons, and learned a thing or two about fine tuning his skills with a blade, thanks to Fergus. Merida even helped him better his archery skills. He surprised her one evening with a little quip.

"Thanks so much for helping with that."

"Sure! No problem! Better than sitting around doing nothing while Eret gets better."

He grinned at her before running a hand through his brown locks, "Um, yeah. You also have more patience."

Merida glanced up from picking up the bow and arrows, "Huh?"

"Back home, everyone thought I couldn't do anything, and so, they didn't let me use any weapons for a very long time. I think the most I had was a pocket knife for little things that would need cutting, like rope. Not exactly a very good weapon to defend oneself against a dragon or another Viking with."

Merida chuckled, "No, but I bet it was the perfect size for you."

"What? What are you talking about? Are you suggesting that I am tiny?"

Merida burst out laughing, "Maybe."

"What? Well excuse me, princess, but I will have you know that I am bigger than you, which means that five years ago, you were smaller than me. So hah, how about that?"

"Well, considering that you were only fifteen five years ago, and I just turned sixteen, so, technically, if we were both fifteen, I'd still be taller than you . . . right?"

"Uh . . . but you have grown in the past year, so technically, no."

"Not by much, actually, so technically, yes," she pointed out. She waited for his reply with a grin on her face.

"OK, but I know how tall I was five years ago and I was still taller than you now . . . well, maybe you've gotten to the same height now, but I was still taller."

Merida giggled, "Not too sure about that."

"Well, I will admit, at least with you guys I don't have to be a 'normal Viking'," he stated, emphasizing with quotation marks in the air.

Merida snickered, "Well, with us, being a 'normal Viking' isn't a good thing, so of course we'll accept you being yourself."

Hiccup grinned, then gave a little sigh, "I almost don't want to go back, they still expect me to be the big macho man all Vikings tend to be."

"Tend to be, but not all are," Merida pointed out, giving him a smile. Hiccup sighed and sat down, his head sinking into his hands. "Hiccup?"

"My dad expected it of me, so I could be chief. But I'm not like him, and I don't think I ever will. Dagur just proved that, all too well."

Merida rolled her eyes, but Hiccup wasn't looking, "Listen, you are a good chief. You just have to do things your way, and do things that you know to be right. Everyone else will come around eventually, and if they don't they can leave. They're not your prisoners or anything."

Hiccup snorted, "I guess that could be a solution. I don't know, it's just, I think I've come to like Scotland, a lot."

"Really?" Merida seemed a bit too excited, but neither of them noticed. "Well, you can come and visit us a lot."

"But I'm the chief."

"Of course, and as chief, you have duties to your allies. You do have to meet with them every now and then," she grinned. Hiccup's mouth dropped open before it reshaped into a laugh.

"Merida! That's right! You're absolutely brilliant!" He gave her a hug, then pushed her away when he realized what he was doing. "Oh, um, sorry, I shouldn't have hugged you. That was a bit, undiplomatic of me."

Merida just giggled and hugged him, "It's alright, we're friends, right?"

Hiccup smiled, "Right. Well, I should probably get to bed, it's getting late."

"Right, and I have a few more things to take care of before I head for bed."

Hiccup smiled and patted her hand, "Right, well, thanks, for the lesson, and for the talk."

"Oh, not at all, it's not everyday I get to talk with someone who sounds more intelligent than one of the clan heirs."

Hiccup laughed, "That bad, eh? Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight!" called Merida as he walked away. She turned to pick the bows, paused, and glanced at her hand. She could still feel his touch, and her heart was still fluttering, the same way it did whenever they touched. What was going on? They were just friends . . . weren't they? She bit her lip as she finished cleaning the archery equipment, she would have to think more on this, this feeling that she had never encountered before.

Hiccup, on the other hand, was a bit worried about the whole scene. He hadn't meant to hug her, the only girl he had ever hugged was Astrid, and it felt awkward hugging another girl. He paused, it wasn't awkward, per say, as much as he found himself enjoying the contact and, surprisingly, wanting to hug her for as long as he could. He was glad Merida confirmed that hugging was just a sign of friendship in Scotland, but he couldn't help thinking that hugging her was different from hugging Astrid, or that his heart skipped a beat when she hugged him. Once inside his room, he glanced at his hand, touching her, talking to her, it all felt different than touching or talking to Astrid. He had figured out why talking with Merida was so different, she had more in common with him than Astrid ever did, she seemed to understand him more in three months than what Astrid did in five years. But her touch was another thing. He flexed his fingers as he remembered her smooth, pale hand just beneath his corse, darker hand. Really, it wasn't that much different than Astrid's, but for some reason, it seemed warmer. He paused and let out a breath, his heart was racing. He let in and out a few breaths to calm it down before collapsing on his bed. But even there, the thoughts refused to quiet down, and sleep refused to come and relieve him. He glanced at his hand again, thinking of the whole conversation. He curled it up tight into a fist, swearing right then and there that Dagur would regret taking the dragons, and he would make sure that the Scots would be left alone.

December came and went a little too quickly for everyone, except Eret. Eret was more than happy to set off on the journey, but only Elinor's knowing eyes caught a glimpse of why Eret wanted to leave, and perhaps why Hiccup wanted to stay. The day of departure came with bittersweet anticipation, everyone hoping that Eret and Hiccup would get back home before the Vikings left Berk in search of their chief. Hiccup did leave instructions on what to say and give to the Vikings if they showed up after they had left. By daybreak, their beary forms could be seen disappearing into the horizon, Eret in the front, Hiccup in the back, stealing glances at the Scots every now and then. He clamped his mouth shut, he would miss them, he was missing them already, in fact. But he had a village that depended on him, to lead, to protect, and to care for, and he had been gone for too long. Heaving a sigh, he put on a burst of speed and caught up with Eret, the two saying in stride for several hours, stopping only for a quick drink and a light lunch. They continued on until they changed into men, but even then they kept on until well after the moon came out, stopping only for another light meal and sleep. They continued their journey much like that, in complete silence, each to his own thoughts, each knowing that their time was running out, and fast. Getting through Scotland was the easy part, the hard part was getting off and making it safely to Berk across miles of ocean. Hiccup started pacing back and forth when they reached the northern seashore of Scotland, there was miles and miles of icy water between them and home, not ice, as Hiccup had hoped it would be by the time they had arrived.

"Uh, Hiccup, what should we do? The storm's getting worse!"

Hiccup let out a puff, his breath came out like a wisp of steam, "We should find shelter, this might be the storm that's supposed to freeze the sea! Come on!" As Hiccup and Eret turned to move further inland for shelter, the wind died down and snickering was heard over the wind.

"What's this? Two bears that can talk! What will that witch think of next?" asked the white-haired teen as he landed in front of the bears. Eret gave a growl and stood between him and Hiccup.

"No, Eret, wait! Th-that's Jack Frost!"

The sprite shot them a mischievous grin, "That's absolutely right, I am Jack Frost." Hiccup moved from behind Eret to face the king of winter. Eret glanced at him.

"Are you sure talking with him is a good idea?" he whispered.

"Right now it's better than attacking him, he is the spirit of winter. Besides, you can watch him for any sudden moves, just let me do all the talking, alright?"

"Of course, you're good with that." Hiccup shot him a warning glance before taking up talk with Jack.

"What? No 'At your service'?" quipped Hiccup.

Jack laughed, "You see, that's the thing, I'm not at anyone's service but my own. I can decide if that storm will have the strength to turn the sea into ice, or it can simply pass over, and there will be no ice until next winter."

"OK, so then ,what's your decision on that?"

"What's it to you?"

"The lives of everyone on Berk depends on it, especially ours."

"Oh, now that's something, your lives are basically in my hands."

"Yes, basically. So can you please freeze the sea so we can cross?" asked Hiccup.

"I don't know, I'm pretty random, I could change my mind in a split second."

"Um, is there any way of convincing you to freeze the seas, without, you know, changing your mind?"

"A deal might work, but it has to be good."

"Um . . . there's really not much we have that we could give you right now, so . . ."

"Uh, no, it has to be from you, Master Chief."

"Uh, what? What did you call me?"

"You heard me, Master Chief, you now, a combination of Dragon Master and Chief of Berk."

"Wait, wait, you know who I am? Do you know who we are?"

"Uh, yeah, I've been bringing winter for the past few weeks, or didn't you notice the lovely little frost that's been spreading over Scotland?"

"Oh, right."

"And besides, I just visited Berk, you're in for a surprise when you get there."

"I-I know, the dragons are gone, which is all my fault . . ."

"Not that."

Hiccup glanced at him with worry, "What are you talking about?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise now, would it? Any more information would require another deal, you already have one on your hands."

"Can you at least tell me that everyone is safe?"

"All safe and sound, waiting for the triumphant return of the chief."

"I am not returning home triumphant, if anything more a fool and a loser than when I left."

Jack clicked his tongue, "My, my, such a depressing thought. Then stay here, and you won't be a fool any more!"

Hiccup sighed, "No, I have to tend to my duties as chief. So will you, or will you not freeze the sea?"

"OK, OK, calm down, calm down, no need to yell. I already told you that you can make a deal with me to ensure that the sea freezes. To be honest, I really don't care what it is, but, it has to meet these requirements; it has to come from you, not passed from your friend there to give to me, it has to be from you; it has to be small so it can fit into my pockets, and it has to have some kind of connection to you, whether physical, mental, or emotional, it has to have some kind of connection. So, think you have something that would fit all three?"

"I-I don't know, there must be something . . ."

"But you have to be in your human for that, right?" Hiccup gave a little nod. "Well, how about this, I'll go around taking of spreading some more winter until sundown, that should give you some time to think about what you can give and to build a shelter for the storm, if you have something that would make the deal."

"What? And what if you forget about us?"

"Eret!"

"It would be hard to forget, I'm kinda curious to see what the Master Chief can come up with. Not only that, but I also want to see you change from bear to human, that would certainly be an interesting sight."

"No!" Jack and Eret glanced questioningly at Hiccup. "You can watch if you give us news of Berk."

A grin spread across Jack's face, "Oh-ha-ha, well you're catching on quick. Fine, it's a deal."

"Uh, why not watch us change in exchange for freezing the sea?" Hiccup shot Eret a glare.

Jack merely shook his head, "Nope, it's not the same, watching you change isn't quite enough for freezing the seas. You see, it uses a lot of my strength for that, so I need something more. If you are willing to give up something in exchange for the use of my energy, then it's a deal, got it?" Jack stepped closer to the two bears, frost appearing underneath his feet. Eret gulped and nodded, glancing sideways at Hiccup. The chief was right this time. "Good, I'll be back at sundown!" The sprite took off, a trail of snowflakes in his wake. The two bears glanced at each other and silently went to work getting together a shelter in the hopes that Jack Frost would deliver the big one.

At sundown, the changes began, but they were beginning to worry, there was no sign of the winter king, and Hiccup still had no idea of what to give. When the changes were complete, Hiccup set about looking through his things to see if there was possibly anything he could give to Jack, anything at all. He ran his hand through his hair, and paused, fingering a few strands. Would hair work? It was definitely from him, and it was definitely small enough to fit in Jack's pocket, and it was connected to him, at least physically. A smile of relief lit up his face, the answer was hair!

Eret moved aside a make-shift door, "Hiccup, I think he's on his way here!"

"Perfect timing, I think I've got something."

"But Berk . . ."

Hiccup sighed, "We won't be able to hear of news, but right now, getting there is more important. Oh, hello, Jack. No news, I presume?"

"Eh, yeah, sorry about that." Hiccup was taken back, Jack sounded genuinely sorry. "But, I can still do the storm, you got something for me?"

"Yes."

"Where is it?"

HIccup let out a sigh, "A few strands of my hair." Jack and Eret glanced at him questioningly, again.

"What?" asked Eret.

"It's definitely from me, it's small enough to fit in your pocket, and it's connected to me, at least physically."

Jack laughed, "You're right, that works! This sea will get the biggest freeze in it's life!" Hiccup sighed with relief as he plucked out a few strands and gave them to Jack. Jack pocketed them, "Sleep well tonight, fellas, your road home will be paved tonight!" The two cheered, things were going swell! They slept soundly that night while Jack's storm froze the sea, paving a way home, like he told them it would. They found that Jack thought of it all, taking their path to islands so they could sleep and find more food, if need be. Their spirits rose with every day that took them closer to Berk, they were that much closer to home. Finally, the day arrived that the cliffs of Berk loomed overhead, though Jack's ice path took them to a lower part of the island so they could climb up easily. It still took some time, but soon they were fast approaching the village, the sun about ready to set. Pure ecstasy at being home filled Hiccup's chest and he pushed forward, faster than even Eret, reaching the council hall before him. He paused for a breath when he reached the doors, the sun going down and taking his bear shape with it. With a grin, Hiccup burst into the hall.

"Mom, Astrid, we're back!" Then he paused and stared in shock at what lay before him, just as Eret joined him.

"Welcome home, boys, we've been expecting you," grinned Frieda as she held a knife to Valka's throat, with a girl who looked to be her daughter holding a knife to Astrid's throat, both women bound and gagged.


	5. Brown Bear: Matters of the Heart

It had been two weeks since Hiccup left when Merida started to notice she was coming down with something. She wasn't exactly sure what it was, but as each day passed, an inkling of what she was suffering from began to dawn on her. Her mother only confirmed it for her one day during lessons.

"Merida! How many times do I have to tell you not to draw during your lessons? You need to . . . oh . . . oh my." Elinor's eyes glanced from the paper to her daughter a few times before laying it down gently. "Um, Merida, do you want to talk? It's been two weeks since Hiccup and Eret left." Merida glanced down at her doodle of Hiccup, she was nowhere near as good as him, but thanks to him, she had improved. "Merida?" Merida heaved a sigh and placed her head on the table. The next thing she knew, her mother was holding her as tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. It seemed like hours had passed before Merida had finally calmed down enough to talk a bit.

"I'm in love with him. This is love, isn't it?" she blurted, stray tears racing down her cheeks.

"It looks like the beginnings of it. But you can only be sure if you're willing to give up everything for his sake, even him." Merida glanced at her mother, she was already giving him up, for his good and for the good of Berk. "He did for you."

"What?"

"He didn't want to leave, and I think it was because of you, though, I could be wrong."

"I think you are, he said we were only friends," sniffed Merida as she wiped her eyes.

"Oh?"

"Mm-hmm, he said he liked it here because we accepted him for who he was, not what everyone expects of him. Though I did tell him that it was because we don't like Vikings, so acting like a Viking was a good thing."

Elinor laughed, "Oh, I see. But I was so sure . . . well, Eret certainly wanted to leave because he's in love, I know that much."

"W-will it ever go away? This love I have for Hiccup?"

"Not true love. Each passing day will make the separation easier, but you will never stop loving him, never."

"Oh, um, sorry mom," sniffed Merida, wiping away more tears.

"No, that's alright, we'll stop for today, go get yourself some fresh air and clear your mind, alright? But I was so sure that Hiccup wanted to stay because of you."

Merida chuckled slightly, "Well, sorry, mom, but you were wrong in this case."

"Ah , I guess I was, he did say his true love was waiting for him in Berk, so, I guess that would explain a lot. Maybe thought of coming back with her."

"Oh, I don't know if I can handle that," groaned Merida.

"That's the thing about falling in love with someone who's already in love, you'll have to see him with her whenever you see him. It'll hurt, and a lot, but anything to make him happy, right?"

Merida sighed, "Yeah." A soft smile played on her lips, "I guess you're right, seeing him happy makes me happy."

Elinor shot her a knowing smile as she tidied up the school room, "See? Now go release some of that emotion in your arrows, alright?"

Merida gave her a quick hug, "Thanks, mom." She ran out of the room, grabbed an apple on the way out, along with her bow and arrows, saddled Angus quickly, and was out of the castle. She shot arrows into her targets, perfectly every time, before heading to her final destination, the cliff across from Crown's Tooth. She took out her bow and knife and sat down, Angus munching away at the grass. She glanced up at the sky, she hadn't seen Toothless in flight, but she figured it had to have been no different than a bird, and started carving a dragon from memory. When she was finished, her fingers traced her work as thoughts traced Hiccup into her mind. She let out a sigh as a couple of tears fell onto the dragon on her bow, thinking back to her conversation with her mom.

She let out a sad chuckle, "Why would mom think that Hiccup wanted to stay for me? I mean, she's usually right, but . . . what if, what if she was right, and he doesn't know that what he feels for me is love!" Angus glanced up sharply at her outburst. "If, if he doesn't love the girl he left anymore and loves me instead, then, then . . . on no, he'll end up being a bear forever! Oh Angus, I have to get to him before he becomes something like Mor'du! Well, he'll be better as a pet, but I-I want Hiccup the way he is, not as a bear! Come on, we don't have much time to lose!" She got back onto Angus, but paused. "Wait, I have to gather a few things first, we can't go unprepared! Alright we'll leave tonight after everyone else is asleep. Let's head back!" Angus took off galloping back home, somehow understanding the urgency in Merida's voice. They got back home quickly and, after mumbling that she needed to fix her bow as an excuse for coming back early, she rushed to her room, and packed everything she thought she would need, some changes of clothes, some extra winterwear, and as many extra arrows as her pack could hold. She tweaked with her bow a bit to make it look like she had been fixing it, but she had to find a way to get to the kitchen and snatch some food for her journey. Her stomach solved that problem by growling almost as loud as a bear. Stifling a giggle, she went down to the kitchen where the food was being prepared for winter and since most of the women had their backs turned to her, she stuffed as much as she could into a bag. She rushed back up the stairs with her stash, not wanting anyone to see what she was planning out of fear that she would be stopped. She finished packing everything and setting it behind the door when someone knocked.

"Merida?"

"Mom! What's up?'

"Well, I see that ride made you feel better."

"Oh yeah, a bit, I guess staying busy helps keep me from pondering on it."

"Well that's good, would you like the day off tomorrow from studies?"

"Can I?" Elinor nodded. "Can I get up early and stay out all day?"

"Of course, I'll ask the cooks to leave some food out for you tonight so you can have something to eat."

Merida gave her a hug, "Thanks mom, I think that would help a lot."

"Good, well, come on, dinner's ready."

"Oh, right," giving her mother a smile, Merida followed her down, hoping that she wouldn't notice her heart racing or the nervousness over what she was about to do. A thought came to her as she sat down, she should leave a note explaining where she was going and why, if her family decided to follow her, that would be their choice, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about them attempting to stop her when Hiccup's life was at stake. Her mother would understand, of course, but the rest of the Scots? She was a bit afraid that they might just turn it into an excuse to attack Vikings in retaliation for every village ransacked by other Vikings tribes, but she was sure that her mother could handle them, like always. That night, before going to her room, she grabbed some paper and a pen, writing down exactly what she was going to do and why. She placed it on her bed, knowing that her mother would find it the next morning after her departure, thinking that she would be out all day. She went and double-checked her bags before blowing out her light and sat in darkness to wait for the right moment.

It took a while, but Merida's nervous patience finally paid off as everyone finally went to bed. She waited a bit longer to make sure that everyone was sound asleep before slipping out of her room and tiptoed down the stairs. Not wanting to make any kind of a sound, she didn't shouldered her pack until she had reached the kitchen, after stuffing the laid out food for her into the bag. She slipped out the kitchen door and swiftly but quietly made her way to Angus and saddled him in the dark. She led him out the gate and a few feet into the forest before daring to mount him and set off at a gallop. She pushed him hard that day, needing to go farther than they had ever gone before to stay ahead of any possible search parties. They stopped only for a quick rest at each meal, but they pushed on until the moon was high in the sky. Only then did Merida stop for dinner and sleep. They woke at dawn the next day and pushed forward as the day before, figuring that they had found the note by now. Two more days later, after equally hard riding, Merida came across an all too-familiar sight.

"Ach! You're the witch!"

"Ach! You're the princess!"

"What are you doing here?" they exclaimed at the same time.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? This is my winter home! My goodness, do you expect me to live close to you guys all the time? I would like a bit of alone time! So what are you doing?"

Merida heaved a sigh, "Sorry, but I'm following Chief Hiccup, I have to get to him before the beginning of spring or he'll stay a bear forever!"

"Eh? Why don't you let his true love handle that?"

"That's the thing, I think I'm his true love."

"What? How can that be? He would have changed into a regular man by now!"

"But we didn't know before, I don't think he realizes it, I didn't realize it until just a few days ago."

"That doesn't matter, true love's kiss can always tell ya."

"We didn't kiss," explained Merida.

The witch heaved a sigh, "Oh, alright, better come one in, Jack Frost is bringing another big one, and it would be better to stay alive for your true love. The horse can come too." The witch walked around the bend, Merida and Angus following. There was a little hut carved into the stone, almost like her summer hut at Dunbroch, but much sturdier against Jack Frost's worst storms. She held the door open for Merida and Angus, closing it once Angus was squeezed inside.

"Um, thank you for letting us stay the night."

"No problem, I want to see that boy back to himself as much as you do."

"What?"

"You remember the last time we met?"

"Uh, yeah, kinda hard to forget."

"Well, you should know that I don't ask very many questions, so I didn't ask very many questions when that Dagur and Frieda came around asking for a couple of spells. They told me basically the same thing you did, that they wanted Hiccup and Eret to change for the better. I didn't find out until after they had swallowed the spell that Hiccup and Eret were actually fine the way they are, those two black hearts just wanted to go through with their evil plan, taking everything from Hiccup."

"Everything?"

"Yeah, his dragon, his freedom, his girl, his land . . ."

"What?"

"Yeah, Frieda wants Hiccup to marry her daughter instead of his true love, and once spring comes, Hiccup will turn into a bear forever, leaving the throne to Frieda and her daughter. Except I don't think they counted on you being the true love, which means, if you hurry, there's still a chance to reverse the spell before the spring thaw." Merida slunk down in a chair, things were more dire than she had originally thought while the witch hurried around and got a soup going for supper.

"B-but how . . . why?"

"Do this? Because they're greedy. They don't care about anyone but themselves and they will destroy everyone who gets in their way, if no one stops them first. Hiccup was that boulder standing between them and what they wanted, so changing him into a bear and leaving him here for a few months changed that. They now think they can have anything. But if true love stands by his side, he'll become even stronger, and their selfish ways can never overcome true love, no matter what happens."

"So, all I have to do is get to Berk, kiss him, and chase Frieda and her daughter off of Berk!"

"Yeah, how are you getting to Berk again?"

"Um . . ."

The witch groaned, tossing a few seasonings into the cauldron, "When you get to the shore tomorrow, say these words, 'Jack Frost, Jack Frost, king of the ice and snow, come to me here, come to me quick, I have someplace I need to go'." The witch repeated it again, Merida listening intently to every word. "Now you say it."

"Jack Frost, Jack Frost, king of the ice and snow, come to me here, come to me quick, I have someplace I need to go," repeated Merida slowly. The witch had her repeat it a few more times until she served the soup.

"Good enough for now, but repeat that as often as you can, and be prepared to give him whatever he asks, he doesn't do just anything at the snap of a finger."

"OK, then what?"

"Ask him to take you to Berk, he can get you there faster than any boat or dragon. Oh, also, I think I have a few things that can help you get past Frieda to Hiccup, she'll probably have him holed up at his house until it's close enough to spring to go through with her plan. Eat your supper, I'll be right back." With that being said, she went into a back room, mumbling about where this was and that was, and going through drawers to find whatever she was looking for. Merida sighed and went back to her soup, slowly slurping it as she repeated the Jack Frost poem over and over in her head. She was finished with it when the witch let out a loud, "Ah-ha!", startling her.

Merida moved closer to the partially closed door, "Did you find it?"

The witch opened the door, "Yup, come here, I've got to make sure this fits."

"Uh, what fits?" asked Merida as the witch pulled her into the room. It was a quaint little room, just like the rest of the hut, and the raven Merida remembered from her last encounter with the witch was dozing away on a perch at the foot of the bed. The witch bade her to take off her dress and helped her into a lovely, apple red dress with brown bears bordering the bottom. Merida was surprised when they were finished getting it on, it fit snugly, and was much more comfortable than most of the fancy dresses her mother insisted on her wearing. The witch then pulled Merida's hair back and clipped it together with a jeweled bear barrette, followed by the matching shoes. Merida stared at herself in the mirror, she looked so different, so . . . pretty. She could almost see Hiccup staring at her in surprise, and suppressed a giggle, even in her imagination he looked funny. Funny, but cute, very, very cute.

"Well?"

"I-it's lovely, and it fits me well! A-and I almost look pretty!"

"Almost? Darling, you'll have all the men staring at you, but you're so pretty that only a gentleman of rank would ever dare to approach you."

Merida raised an eyebrow, "Don't guys always go for the pretty ones."

"Of course, but when you're more than just pretty, they know that only a man, a real man could ever take you. Oh, and here are the things you'll need to bribe Frieda to see Hiccup."

"A necklace, a bracelet, and a ring? I mean, they are exquisite, but why those things?"

"Say they're presents for the wedding and they would look lovely on the daughter, though they would look better on you, or even Frieda herself . . . in which case they would look so much better on you." Merida snorted, she remembered what Frieda looked like, she acted and dressed like she was pretty, but she really wasn't. "So if you can, only use these if Frieda doesn't let anyone see Hiccup, if you can see him, use for yourself."

Merida grinned, "I will, unless I have to part with it for Jack Frost."

"Nah, he doesn't like jewelry, it's pretty rare that he would ask for it."

"Oh . . . then what would he ask for?"

"Eh, it varies, but it's usually something small." stated the witch as she started helping Merida undress and get back into her traveling dress.

"Oh," was all Merida could say until she finished changing. The witch helped her pack the dress and the jewelry into her pack, and nothing more was said as Merida fell asleep.

The next morning, Merida woke up to a pot of porridge and a blanket of snow on the ground.

"You'd better hurry, Jack Frost won't be here long, leaving tomorrow at the latest."

"Um, could I send Angus back here?"

"What? You could practically walk to the shore before dinner, even in the snow. Done it many times. You leave the horse here, I'll use him for a few things before I send him back, how does that sound?"

"Well, my folks might be coming after me, they might be here tomorrow or the day after," grimaced Merida.

"I can still work him, though, one day should be plenty, just needed a horse for a few things, I can take care of all of it, or at least most of it, tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes, now go, go, daylight's a wasting! Jack Frost will probably leave early tomorrow, if not in the middle of the night! Do you remember the poem?"

"Uh, Jack Frost, Jack Frost, king of the ice and snow, come to me here, come to me . . . quick, I have someplace I need to go."  
"Right, and remember to be prepared to give him whatever he asks of you." Merida nodded, said her goodbye to Angus, and was out the door. Despite having snowed the night before, the day seemed fairly comfortable, and the way easier than Merida had thought. Like the witch had said, she had made her way to the shore before dinnertime, even with a break for lunch. She decided on taking a little break and getting a quick bite before calling on the king of winter, replaying the poem in her head for good measure. Soon, it was time, and, after taking a deep breath to steady herself, faced the sea and called out with all of her might.

"Jack Frost, Jack Frost, king of the ice and snow, come to me here, come to me quick, I have someplace I need to go!" She waited a bit, before shouting it again, louder this time. "Jack Frost, Jack Frost, king of the ice and snow, come to me here, come to me quick, I have someplace I need to go!" She waited for a little while longer yet again, and, taking a deep breath, prepared to say it again when a voice called out.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming, I'm coming! Man, you are one impatient loudmouth, aren't you?" asked the white being as he landed in front of her.

"I need you to take me to Berk," she stated.

Jack blinked, "Berk? Again, really, what is it with . . . oh, you're chasing after those bears aren't you?" Merida nodded. "There's a price."

"I know, I'm willing to pay."

"Anything?"

"Anything." Jack rubbed his chin as he scrutinized her.

"Which bear?"

"What?"

"Which bear are you interested in?"

Merida could feel her cheeks warm, "Uh . . . Hiccup."

"Ah, I see." There was a pause as he thought, a grin brightening his face. "OK, to take you across, I need a strand of your hair."

"My hair?"

"Yes, unless . . ."

"Oh no, you can have it," blurted Merida as she pulled out three strands of her fiery curls. Jack quickly pocketed them.

"Great, now, hang out tight, this might get cold quick," Jack warned her as he wrapped his arms around her and her pack.

"Um, OK . . . whoa!" Jack took off for the skies, skirting over clouds, where the air did get incredibly cold.

"Are you alright?"

"Uh, a bit cold, but so far so good. Why?"

"Oh, just want to get Hiccup's bride to him in one piece." Jack shot a grin at her bewildered face. "Oh lookie there, there's the handsome groom-to-be's village." Merida glanced down, a little village could be seen outlined by the torches and fires blazing against the darkening sky. Merida sucked in a breath, noticing the wild waves that crashed against the high cliffs and the rock towers sprouting from the deep.

"I think I can see why he was beginning to like Scotland more," she mumbled as the village grew closer. In a couple of minutes, Jack had landed her safely on the Berk soil.

"Nice doing business with ya, princess," he winked.

She smiled back, "Thank you, Jack."

"I hope everything goes well," quipped Jack before flying back into the starry night. She watched his pale form disappear, wondering what that all meant. But she didn't have time to ponder more about it as she needed to find a place to stay for the night, and to find a way to Hiccup.


	6. Brown Bear: On Berk

"And what are you doing here, this late at night?" asked a Viking who came across Merida as she wandered the village. Merida winced, there was really nothing to it but to tell the truth, he'd figure out where she was from the instant she opened her mouth.

"Oh, um, I must see Chief Hiccup immediately."

"What? Are you Scottish?"

"Uh, yes, and . . ."

"Then what are you doing here? Oh wait, you said you wanted to see Hiccup, right. Um . . . you can't."

"But I have to!"

"It's not his fault you can't see him, nor is it any of ours. Well, he might still be getting over the fact that Astrid is in love with Eret instead of him. Add Frieda's demands to the table, and you've got a whole lot of issues he's got to work out. Poor fellow, wish I could help him, but Frieda won't let anyone see him! Why'd you need to see him?"

Merida stood in shock for bit before shaking it off and replying, "I-I think I'm the one who can reverse the spell."

"You love Hiccup? Oh wow, I keep telling him that he's a good catch, didn't realize that a Scot would get caught in the net. Well, I hope he loves you back and . . . wait, what am I saying? You can't see him!"

"Well, I think I have an idea of how to do it, I just need to talk to Frieda, or her daughter."

"Well, I would suggest talking to the daughter, she's much nicer than her mother. I almost feel sorry for the girl, she's as under Frieda's thumb as a helpless sheep in the paws of a dragon. Got no choice but to do what her mother says, it seems like. I do wonder why she hasn't left her yet, she's old enough to do so."

"Wh-when's a good time to talk to her?"

"Probably in the morning, when the two of them walk through the village. Need a place to stay for the night?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright then, you can stay at my place for now. I'm Gobber, by the way, an old friend of Hiccup's family. I'll help with whatever you need," he stated, extending his hand.

"Oh, thank you Gobber, I could use all the help I can get. I'm Merida Dunbroch," smiled Merida as she shook his hand.

"Great! Well come on over, I haven't had dinner yet, and I'm sure there's more I could tell you to help with that idea of yours."

"Great, thanks!" She followed him to his hut, where the two talked over dinner before exhaustion took over and they had to fall asleep.

The next morning, no one would have recognized Merida. Gobber had taken her to the village elder who helped Merida with a disguise. She now had a regular Viking outfit on and her hair was dyed brown and braided. By the time they got back to the smithy, they had a believable enough of a story put together that should satisfy at least Frieda and her daughter, and that most of the village now knew what was going on and all had promised not to breath a word of it to Frieda.

"Why are you all so scared of Frieda?" asked Merida as she helped Gobber in the smithy while waiting for Frieda and her daughter to pass.

"Huh? Oh, you haven't been to the main hall yet, she has troll and ogre guards, and they've proven just how strong they are by tossing all of us. Let's just say it wasn't a fun experience," winced Gobber, rubbing his side.

"Oh, sorry about that."

"Eh, wasn't your fault, it was ours for thinking we could get our chief back by sheer force. You'd think we would have figured that out seeing as how big they are. You'll get to see in a minute because I think they're coming." Merida instantly stiffened, her heart beating wildly with nervousness. It nearly stopped when a voice called to Gobber. Merida didn't have to turn around to see who it was, she knew.

"Well, Gobber, I see you have yourself a new assistant. I've never seen her before. Turn around, child, and let me look at you." Gobber gave Merida a slight nod, and she turned around, looking straight into the eyes of Frieda. Disgust and rage filled Merida's mind, but she managed to stay composed while Frieda took her head in her hand and looked her over. "Where are you from, and when did you get here?"

"She's my niece, and she escaped captivity in Scotland, arrived here yesterday evening. Can you believe that's where she's been this whole time?"

Frieda shot him a glare, "I did not ask you, Gobber."

"It's true, ma'am," whispered Merida. "Wh-when I heard that Chief Hiccup was from Berk, I knew I had to follow him to get home."

"Why didn't you let him know?"

"I-I didn't know how to prove my relations to Gobber to him, so I followed him instead, and now I'm here."

"And how did you prove your relations to Gobber?" asked Frieda, her fingers tightening around Merida's face. Merida shrugged off her hand and backed up, Gobber placing a protective arm around her.

"You'll have to forgive her rudeness, m'lady, she's had a rough time of it, and having lived among Scots hasn't had the best of effects on her. I can answer your question, though."

Frieda sighed, "Oh very well, go ahead."

"I was going home when I happened upon her and heard her singing a song my sister used to sing, it was one of her favorites. This little thing was severely frightened, I had to bribe her with a hot meal and a warm bed before she would even talk to me and tell me her tale. But now she's feeling easy with me, it'll take a while before she can get used to everyone."

"Mother? Can she come stay at the hall with us for a while?"

"Heather!"

"Please? I want to have some company, it gets so boring." Heather's eyes pleaded with her mother's.

Frieda sighed, "Oh, alright, but only for three nights, we're still preparing for the wedding, you know."

"I know, mother. Thank you!" Heather hugged her mother before holding out a hand to Merida. Merida glanced up at Gobber, he gave her a little nod and a soft smile. She gave a small smile in return, keeping it small was the hard part, she was going to see Hiccup! She took Heather's hand and followed the two as they continued their walk before returning to the hall. Merida gulped as she glanced around, the trolls and ogres were definitely big and intimidating, but they made no movement as the three sauntered into the main hall. Merida stifled a gasp when she saw the inside of the hall, it was in the middle of being decked out for a wedding, very nearly done, in fact. There were little trolls running all over the place decorating, as Heather explained, while the guards were in fact the ogres. Frieda had Heather and Merida help out a bit with decorating before letting them go to the house for a little bonding time. Heather did most of the talking, showing Merida her lovely dresses, even offering to let her keep a few. Merida glanced over the first one Heather offered her; it was pretty, a pale mauve with silvery snowflakes dotting the skirt and silvery snowflake buttons on the bodice.

"I really don't like that one, I have no clue why mother gave it to me, but you can have it, if you want." Merida glanced at it again, and an image of a brooding Jack Frost entered her mind. Perhaps she should keep it and give it to him in case he found a girl.

"It is pretty. I'll think about it. Are there any others you don't like?"

Heather groaned, "Quite a few, actually, and mother insists on giving me more! Here, take a look at these." She pulled out an ice blue gown with golden flowers lining the bottom, followed by a cyan gown with white clouds, then a sunny yellow one with deep green leaves, a soft white one with pale brown shells, a black one with sparkling stars, and finally the one that made Merida catch her breath, as it was best described as being the green of Hiccup's eyes with jet black dragons lining the bottom. She laid it down gently while Heather went back into her closet for another dress. Merida let out a breath to try and calm her racing heart down, and quickly spoke.

"That's quite a few dresses that you don't like. What do you like?"

Heather chuckled nervously as she set down a purple dress polka dotted with fruit, "I'm not exactly one for bright colors. Actually, mother said I could choose my favorite gown to wear to the wedding, and I've narrowed it down to two. Can you help me choose one?"

"Uh, sure."

"Great, give me just a sec," she mumbled, digging through her closet for the dresses. "Ah-ah, here they are! So, which one looks better on me?" Merida scrutinized the gowns, one was a dark grey with white lightning bolts accenting the bodice and hem, while the other was a dark taupe with soft blue lightning bolts.

"Wow, I can see why you're having a problem, they would both look great on you."

Heather grinned sheepishly, "See what I mean? Can you help, or is it just as hard for you?"

Merida chuckled, "Maybe, hold each dress up separately so I can see better." Heather did, placing the grey dress down first and holding up the taupe dress to below her chin. Merida looked over the outfit against Heather before switching it with the grey one. "Hmm . . . I think I like the grey one better."

"Really? Great! Thank you so much!" She gave Merida a hug before picking up the grey one in the closet and draping the taupe one off the edge of the bed.

"So, do you want them all?" asked Heather, indicating the dresses laid out on the bed.

"Um," began Merida, but Heather noticed her fingering the green dress.

"You like that one, don't you?" smiled Heather.

"Mmm . . . yeah, I guess I do, I also liked this one," she stated, pulling out the mauve and silver snowflakes one from the bottom of the pile.

"Ah . . . do you like all of them?"

"Not sure, they are all very lovely . . . I just don't know if I'd have much room for them all at Uncle Gobber's."

Heather laughed, "Oh that's easy, they can stay here until you want them. Though I do suggest taking one to change into for the wedding."

Merida smiled, "Oh, I must have the same problem, I'm not quite sure which one!" The girls giggled.

"Do you have it narrowed down?" Merida showed her the green dress and the mauve dress. "Hmm . . . this is hard, you would look good in any color. When you leave, you can take them both, you might be able to decide better when the day comes."

"Thanks."

Frieda walked into the room, "Heather, oh you're going over dresses, huh? Have you decided which dress to wear for your wedding?" Heather nodded and showed her the taupe one, much to Merida's surprise. "Ah, that's lovely! Wonderful! And are you trying to decide on a dress as well?" Frieda turned to Merida, who merely nodded. Frieda moved closer to compare the dresses against Merida, but Merida thought it was surprisingly quick that she chose the mauve one. "I think this one looks best on you, brings out your lovely cheeks." She smiled and gave Merida's cheek a pat before heading back to the door. "Lunch will be served soon, so hurry up and pick up the dresses, alright?" She smiled and left the room, it was a few minutes before either of them moved.

"I thought you were going with the grey dress?"

Heather sighed, "Promise you won't tell anyone, especially my mother?" Merida nodded solemnly. "I don't want to marry Hiccup, really, this is all mother's idea. She's pretty convinced that no one will love me, and that a marriage to Hiccup would make me happy."

"You mean you can't keep looking?"

Heather shook her head, "Mother won't let me, said she's done the searching already."

"Um, Heather, would I be able to see Chief Hiccup?"

Heather shook her head, "Only mother and I are allowed to see him, and for only a little while at night. Why?"

"I wanted to thank him for unknowingly helping me back home," replied Merida.

"I-I don't know . . ."

"Will this help?" asked Merida, presenting the necklace. The crystals imbedded in the silver circle sparkled with the sunlight coming through the window and caught Heather's eye.

"That looks so pretty. Where'd you get it?"

"Stole it, from the Scots. I'll give it to you for a talk with Hiccup tonight, if you can do that for me, please." Heather glanced between her and the necklace before nodding.

"Alright, but just for tonight."

Merida smiled, "Thank you." The two silently returned the dresses to the closet before going to lunch, Merida trying to keep herself under control. All through lunch and pleasant chatter, one thought was in the front of her mind, she was going to see Hiccup again!


	7. Brown Bear: Nights

Merida waited impatiently for when Hiccup would go to his room, Heather had hid her in the closet, telling her to wait a while after the guards had left so they wouldn't catch her. She bit her lip as the seconds ticked away into minutes, each seemingly dreadfully longer than the last. Finally, Hiccup walked into the room, flanked by two ogres, one carrying a glass. Merida noticed that his hair was unkempt, and his eyes looked far away and lost. The ogres helped him into his bed and placed the glass in his hand, only leaving once he had drunk the whole thing and taking the glass with them. Merida forced herself to wait, the pained look on Hiccup's face seemed to call out to her and she longed to be by his side, reassuring him that everything would be alright. He turned around, which made the waiting a little easier to endure, but his face stuck in her mind. Finally the ogres walked away, and Merida snuck out of the closet as their footsteps echoed into the distance. She stole to Hiccup's bed and tapped him.

"Hiccup? Hiccup, it's me, Merida! Wake up!" But he didn't open his eyes nor did he budge an inch. Merida tried everything she could think of to wake him up, but it was useless. She sank to the ground, finally giving it up as tears fell to the ground. How was she going to let him know anything? Since Heather wouldn't come to get her until just before daybreak, she had to satisfy herself by looking at him, sleeping peacefully, his cares departing from him at the gates of dreamland. She moved her hand gently across his face, his stubble tickling her hand, and a soft smile appeared on her face as a song came tumbling out of her lips. She sang softly so as not to alert anyone to her presence, but it was loud enough that she hoped Hiccup would hear her, even in his sleep.

Later, after lunch, Heather asked her how it went, and when Merida told her, she was surprised.

"Really? He wouldn't wake up? Most nights he won't sleep!"

Merida glanced at her, worry creeping into her voice, "Do you think something's wrong?"

Heather shrugged, "That, or the lack of sleep finally got to him, but I'm not sure."

Merida took out the bracelet, "Maybe you're right, and he just needed some sleep. May I try again tonight?" Heather eyed the bracelet, crystal bolts and jeweled raindrops hung from the silver chain.

Heather took the bracelet, "We'll try again tonight, but what if it's the same way tonight? You'll only have one night left and . . ." she glanced at the bracelet. Merida caught the hint, a small smile blossoming.

"I've got that covered if it's the same way tonight, but if so, I'll need some paper and a pen." Heather nodded, the two saying no more of it as they went about the rest of the day preparing for the wedding. Though Merida acted normal, the pain on Hiccup's face haunted her.

That night happened just the same as the night before, unable to wake him, Merida sang to him instead, perhaps a little louder this time, figuring he was sure to hear it in his sleep this time. After breakfast, the girls were playing with hairstyles, Heather having asked Merida to try some Scottish styles on her. The topic soon went to Hiccup, and Merida informed her of another failed attempt.

Heather bit her lip, "I think something is wrong, when he does sleep, he's up before dawn. Yesterday he got up a little after, so I thought it was alright, but today, he didn't wake up until almost lunch!"

Merida glanced at her, "How do you know that?"

"I overheard the ogres reporting to my mother, I think she's drugging him!"

Merida's hand stopped working with Heather's hair and dropped to her side, "A-are you sure? Why would she do that?"

Heather turned to glance at Merida, "Because you love him, don't you?" Merida's eyes widened and her hands shook. "Oh no, it's alright, I don't love him, and he doesn't love me. It would be better if you two got together. It's just . . . my mother . . . I don't think she really wants me to find true love."

Merida was taken back by the comment, "What makes you say that?"

"This is the second time she's tried to get me to marry a royal. I think she's wants the power, and if what you say is true and Hiccup will be a bear after the first full moon of spring then . . ." The girls glanced at each other, and their eyes widened.

"He-he'll be a bear forever," began Merida.

"Leaving my mother in charge!" finished Heather in a hushed tone. "Oh no, why didn't I see it before?"

"She's your mother, you'd think she'd be looking after your well-being and want you to be happy."

Heather sank her head onto her dresser, "Oh no, what should we do. She has all of the trolls and ogres under her command, none of them would listen to even me." Then her head shot up, a glimmer in her eye. "Wait! We have to go see Astrid, Tuffnut, and Valka today, to let them choose gowns for the wedding! Maybe we can slip a message to them, Hiccup is supposed to be visiting them for dinner!"

Merida's face lit up, "Brilliant! Oh Heather, you're amazing! I'm sure you'll find your happily ever after!" The two girls hugged.

Heather smiled, "Thanks, Merida, I hope so too. Um, are there any eligible young men in Scotland?"

Merida laughed, "Oh, plenty, none of them were for me, though. And, I would stay away from young MacIntosh, he's not your type. You might want to give young MacGuffin and wee Dingwall a chance though, you might like them."

"Really? Well, I shall just have to get over to Scotland one of these days and find out for sure." The girls giggled and went back to hairstyles, Heather writing a quick note while Merida did different styles. Later, they went to an adjourning house, lugging the dresses between them as they followed Frieda. The ogres gave a slight bow as Frieda walked by, but gave no indication that Merida or Heather were there. Once inside, Merida's stomach just about did a flip-flop, there were quite a few guys squeezed in the small area with ogres keeping an eye on them, the women apparently sharing the loft. As Frieda led them up the stairs, Merida took a quick look around to see if she could find Eret, he'd know to give the note to Hiccup, and she wanted to see if he had been changed back to normal after Astrid's proclamation of love. But she only caught a fleeting glance of the brunette before losing sight of him when she got to the top of the stairs.

"Frieda! What are you doing here?" asked a brunette with grey streaks in her hair. "Where's my son?"

"Don't worry, Valka, you'll get to see him tonight. Right now I would like if you would decide on some dresses for the wedding." Frieda pointed at the pile of dresses in Heather's and Merida's arms. Merida could tell the Vikings knew she wasn't from Berk, but they said nothing as they grumpily obliged Frieda and looked at the dresses. Heather stifled a gasp when Astrid chose the taupe dress she was planning to wear to the wedding. Merida gulped and glanced at Frieda, she had been the one to take out the dresses. Then another realization hit her like a stone, Frieda might have been listening to their conversations! That would explain everything. But did she hear anything this morning? Merida hoped she hadn't as her thoughts turned to the papers hidden in hers and Heather's dresses. Valka took the green dress with the black dragons, probably reminding her of Hiccup as it did for Merida. Ruffnut finally decided on a navy blue one with green fire. Frieda, Merida, and Heather stayed a few more minutes, going over wedding plans, Frieda adding convenient reminders that Hiccup could only get better because of Heather. Merida's heart went out to both Heather and Valka, one was being used to advance socially while the other was going to lose her child because of it. She became more resolved to save Hiccup as it meant the happiness of Valka, Heather, and all of Berk laid with her success. His people loved him, there was no doubt about it, just like there was no doubt about her being in love with him. She kept a look-out for any opening to get the note to anybody, but she began to despair of ever getting it to anyone, making it rather clear that Frieda had in fact been listening to her and Heather's conversations. She quickly thought of various ways to make an excuse to get close to someone to slip them the note, but she was running out of time as Frieda prepared to leave.

"It was fun talking with you, dear. Soon we shall be family, how exciting will that be! Can't wait! Come Heather, Merida, there's still a few things we need to take care of. Good day, Valka, Astrid, Tuffnut." Frieda smiled and stood, leading the way out. Merida noticed Heather dropping her note next to her seat. It was a good idea, but Meida wasn't sure if anyone would notice it in time, but she did get out her note and let it fall next to the staircase when Frieda took a few ogres aside and explained to them just how long Hiccup could stay. Merida could feel a pair of eyes boring into her, and when she turned, both she and her observer jumped. It was Eret, and he seemed to recognise her! She glanced down at the note she dropped, indicating that it was important. Eret gave a little nod and snatched it up quickly, stuffing it into his pocket before Frieda turned around to wave the girls on. When her back was turned, Merida gave a little smile, tonight was going to be different.

Merida waited in the closet that evening very impatiently, excitement and nervousness battling it out in her brain. To keep her mind occupied, she thought over everything that happened in the past few days, especially getting to know Heather. She was still surprised at how snugly the ring fit Heather's finger, like it was made specifically for her. It was even in a style she liked. A little smile spread over her face, once this was all over, she would keep her promise and help Heather find her one true love. It was the least she could do for all her help. True, she did give her the jewelry, but she wanted to help Heather anyway, especially after she finally figured out what her mother was really doing. The door opened, startling Merida out of her thoughts as her heart raced, they were late. She glanced through the hole in the closet, and saw why, Hiccup's wet hair was clinging to his face. As the previous two nights, the ogres gave him a glass and waited until he drank it before leaving. However this night, a noise caught the ogres' attention and while they went to check on it, Hiccup dumped the glass out the window. A grin spread across Merida's face when the ogres came back and took the empty glass, thinking he had drunk it, and left for the night. When Merida was absolutely sure that they were gone, she crept out of the closet. She went to the sleeping figure on the bed and tapped.

"Hiccup?" She uttered a little gasp as the figure got up fast and wrapped her in a hug.

"Gothi dyed your hair?" he whispered.

Merida let out a soft chuckle, "Yeah, Gobber thought it best not to reveal too much."

Hiccup grinned, "Good ole Gobber. Good job on getting the note to Eret."

"Thanks, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to, figured Frieda had been listening to our conversations."

"Our?"

"Me and Heather, she doesn't want this to go through, but she's scared of her mother, and I don't really blame her." She glanced up and saw him looking at her with the softest smile she had ever seen on his face. "What?"

"I'm so happy you came, and, you kinda look good in brown hair, actually."

"What? I am not keeping this, I like my red curls, thank you very much."

Hiccup chuckled, "Well, at least start wearing it in a braid, that looks good on you too."

Merida rolled her eyes, "Yeah, whatever."

"So, what are we going to do?" Merida glanced at him, biting her lip, she wasn't completely sure.

"Um, maybe pretend to go through with the wedding?"

"What?"

"Everyone in the village would be invited, so I'd be there. But, before you get married, suggest a little test to prove that Heather is your one true love, and if she doesn't prove it, then other women are open to trying."

"But how would we find a test that would work like that?"

"I . . . I don't know." Hiccup placed his chin in his hand, doing some serious thinking. Merida tried to do some of her own thinking, but the way he looked distracted her, he looked so cute when thinking.

"Um, well, there is dragon spit. No one's been able to get that out, but I don't see how you would be able to either." Merida thought over everything she brought, she did have some soap, her mother's recipe, that was known for getting just about anything out, but she wasn't sure if that would do the trick. She would have to see what was used in the Viking soaps to see if there was a chance. And the witch did give her a piece of soap as well, perhaps therein laid her best bet. When she told this to Hiccup, he face lit up like the sun that had long set.

"If that is true, then we will have to go back to Scotland more often for this soap! It would be great not to smell like dragon spit all the time." Merida snickered. "Oh seriously, if you've ever smelled it . . ." he dropped off. Merida watched him with a bit of worry, but it quickly faded when his eyes grew large and his mouth shaped into an oh. "Did I use the soap for baths?"

Merida blinked, "Uh, yeah . . . it did work!" Hiccup grinned and nodded. "Then we'll definitely do that! That will be the test!"

Hiccup chuckled, "Yup, sounds like we have a plan. So, um, ahem, when did you figure out that, you know, you, uh, liked me . . . alot?'

Merida snorted, "You mean loved you?" Hiccup blushed. "After you left, I couldn't stop thinking about you, you're different from the other men I know. And better, in a lot of ways. What about you? I heard about Astrid from Gobber, I think he's still surprised you caught me in your net," Merida grinned at him.

Hiccup blinked before groaning, "Did he tell you that he keeps telling me I'm a good catch?"

Merida snickered, "Yup."

"Ugh, I'm going to have to get him to stop that. It's really annoying."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you going to tell me, about your feelings?"

Hiccup bit his lip, "Well, I think I actually started to fall in love with you before we left, I just kept using the excuse that Scotland was really nice, and because I still thought I was in love with Astrid. Boy was I wrong. When we got here and Frieda captured us, I tried everything I could to get to Astrid, so she could break the spell. But Frieda knew about her being in love with Eret, so she decided to let Astrid close her eyes and tell each of us that she loved us. When, when Eret changed back, I thought my heart was going to break, but for some reason, I also felt relieved. I tried to find out why without realizing the answer was there all along, I couldn't stop thinking of you. I actually tried to escape several times to get back to Scotland because I realized what a fool I was for leaving in the first place, but Frieda always threatened to hurt my mother or the village if I tried to leave. And so, here I am, still stuck here because of some woman's plan to move herself up in society without any regards to what it'll actually take to run this place."

"Hiccup, the ogres and the trolls, are all under a spell, they'll only obey her. If we could break that wand, or get it away from her somehow, there's a chance they'll help us."

"Hmm, maybe a chance might show up at the wedding. Be ready for it just in case." Merida nodded. Hiccup surprised her by pulling her towards him to where their foreheads touched. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's presence.

"Hiccup?"

"Mmm?"

"Heather's going to be coming soon to get me. I'll be returning to Gothi's tomorrow to prepare for the wedding." They moved their heads just a bit, green met blue as their noses touched.

"Right." He cupped her chin and pulled her head slightly higher. "I really want to kiss you now."

"It'll ruin the whole plan," she whispered.

"I know."

"Besides, you'll get to tomorrow, just a few more hours."

He smiled, "I know, it will feel like an eternity."

"Oh, attempting poetry are we now?"

"I don't know, it's not exactly my strong point."

"That's funny, because you certainly have a way with words." The two froze, it was unmistakable, there were soft footsteps approaching.

"That must be Heather now, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow!" She rose to leave, but Hiccup grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.

"G-goodnight."

"Goodnight." They finally broke apart, and Merida rushed to the door, Heather was waiting on the other side, beckoning her to hurry. Hiccup went to the window and watched the two girls as they silently slid away into the night before going to bed.


	8. Brown Bear: Wedding Plans

Hiccup woke up at his usual time, leaving his room when the sun brought his bear form, and flanked by two ogres. He heaved a sigh, he hoped everything would go according to Merida's plan. Thankfully, the day was a bustle that he didn't get to think much about the plan, though he did practically nothing but watch the trolls put up the finishing touches. Frieda was apparently helping Heather get ready for the wedding, as was the rest of the village. He did, however, at least think of a few excuses to use to get the shirt covered in dragon spit. A soft smile played on his lips, to think that everything he needed was in Scotland. His face, however, instantly fell, Dagur now had Toothless and the other dragons. How were they going to get them back? Hiccup took a breath, one thing at a time, concentrate on one thing at time. Get through today, and then start planning on rescuing the dragons. The day actually went by quickly and didn't feel like an eternity as he had complained about to Merida the night before. His heart pumped excitedly, his whole being itching and eager to see her again. The more he thought about it, the more he was grateful for this turn of luck. He didn't even need to wonder about why she left when she did, she was a smart girl and could figure out that she needed to get to him soon, or how she crossed the sea to Berk, Jack Frost apparently was gentle with her. He heaved a sigh as time began to act weird as the sun set, it seemed to speed up while going extremely slow. He became a man again right as people started piling into the hall, breathtaken with the work of the trolls. He glanced around, they did an amazing job transforming the hall, he just hoped the people wouldn't mind not actually getting a wedding. An idea formed in Hiccup's mind, and the more he thought of it, the more it took shape and was finalized.

"So, Hiccup, how do you like the idea of getting married? You might feel different after you see the bride," winked Gobber. Hiccup blushed, realizing he was refering to Merida. He glanced around, trying to find the head of red among the sea of browns and yellows. "Sorry, she and Gothi aren't here yet, it took longer than Gothi thought to get out the dye. They'll be along soon, don't worry."

"Oh, uh, thanks. Uh, Gobber, I need your help with something."

"Sure, what is it?" Hiccup whispered the plan into his ear. "Oooh, I like it. I'll go get the shirt."

"What?"

"Your, ah, future mother-in-law approaches," stated Gobber. Hiccup turned, Frieda was walking towards them, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Hello Gobber, hello Hiccup, are you excited?"

"Well I am, we haven't had a wedding in a while, especially one I didn't have to help set up."

Frieda chuckled, "Ah, I can see why. May I ask what you two were talking about?"

"Oh, Hiccup was asking me about some old traditions, he wants to incorporate a few into the wedding."

"Ah, have you decided on any?"

"Uh, well, there is this one that isn't quite as weird or awkward as the rest, the future wife has to clean one of her husband's shirts right before the ceremony, before everybody. It stated that if she successfully cleans his shirt, she is definitely the one set aside by the gods for her husband. You know I don't believe in any of that, but I felt that as chief it would be nice to have some kind of tradition for my wedding, at least. I mean, it will feel like a blend of our cultures."

"Oh, interesting. What were the rest?"

"You don't want to know."

"No, you don't, and frankly I didn't either, Gobbber."

"What? You wanted to know about all of them so you could have at least one for your wedding, I was just doing what you asked me."

"Gobber, you went into way too much detail. A simple explanation was enough, you didn't have to start explaining everything that went behind those traditions. And now I feel sick."

"Oh, that bad, huh? Then I won't ask, the shirt will be enough. However, Hiccup, I think you should stay here and greet your people. I'll take Gobber with me to get a shirt."

"Well, thank you, that would be most appreciated."

"It won't take long because I already know which shirt to get."

"Oh good, then it won't take long at all. We'll be back soon!" she called as she and Gobber walked away.

"Hiccup!" Hiccup turned and found himself engulfed in a hug.

"Mom!"

"Oh thank the gods, are you alright?"

"Yeah, mom, never better."

"Eret told us about Merida," she whispered. "Where is she?"

"Oh, you know how the Scots are, they take a long time to get ready. Oh, um, I need to talk to Astrid and Eret actually, where are they?"

"I know where they are, come on. Explain everything to me."

"Actually, mom, I think it would be better if I waited for the group, you all need to know." Hiccup quickly explained everything, going over each person's role one by one as quickly as he could before Frieda got back. An echoing gasp emitted from the people behind Hiccup, he stood up straight and slowly turned. Unfortunately, being shorter than half the crowd, Hiccup couldn't see a thing. The group moved forward to see what the commotion was all about, and if Fishlegs and Eret could see, they weren't telling.

"Gothi?" asked Hiccup, raising an eyebrow as he knelt down to reach her level. Gothi rolled her eyes and shook her head, but she bowed to her chief before moving forward, glancing back to indicate that the real head-turner wasn't far behind. Hiccup stood up, though his mouth dropped to the floor. There stood Merida, her hair back in its natural autumn red color, tied back with a jeweled bear clip, adding to the bear accents on her apple red dress.

"Y-you look amazing," Hiccup finally said, barely above a whisper.

A little color came to Merida's cheeks, "Um, thank you."

"She's coming!" hissed Astrid as she and Eret moved quickly to block Merida from view. Hiccup gulped and let out a breath, let it begin.

"Sorry about taking so long, I couldn't find it at first! You have got to clean your room, Hiccup, at least once in awhile. That or hire someone to do it. it's amazing that you can find anything in that mess."

Hiccup sighed as he took the shirt, "Thank you Gobber." A gasp from the crowd caused them to pause in their banter and find out what was going on. Heather walked into the hall, looking very stunning in the dark grey dress and the jewelry that, unknown to everyone else, had been given to her by Merida. She walked towards Hiccup and gave him a little curtsy, glancing questioningly at the shirt in his hand.

"Uh, what's with the shirt?"

"Oh, uh, a tradition of Berk, my future wife needs to wash it out. It was originally to get out stains, but I've got dragon spit on this," he grinned sheepishly.

Heather took a sniff, and wrinkled her nose, "Ugh, I can see why you would want that out. Alright, let's get this over with quickly." Hiccup led the way to a washing bowl, some soap, and a cloth rack. Heather took the shirt from him and set about washing it with rigor. Hiccup was surprised by a soft sigh next to him, being from a rather content Fishlegs. Did his friend like Heather? His thoughts were interrupted by Heather's grunts.

"This isn't coming out," she stated, holding the shirt a ways from her.

"What? Let me see that," snapped Frieda, snatching the shirt from Heather. She too set to scrubbing it with twice the rigor that Heather had, but only seemed to make it worse as the stench started to grow. "Ugh! Here, try it again!"

"But . . ."

"No buts, just do it!"

"Go ahead and try it again, Heather, but if you cannot get out the dragon spit, other women get a chance," stated Hiccup, daring a glare at Frieda.

Frieda gritted her teeth while Heather answered, "Oh, alright." She had just as much success as before, happy to give up after a while and let someone else give it a shot. Hiccup observed Fishlegs' behavior towards Heather while other women tried at the shirt. He was adament about getting her a towel to dry off, even taking some time to compliment her on her attempts. Hiccup gave a small smile, he hoped she liked him back, and if she didn't now, that she would soon. Hiccup was thankful that only a few women had come forward to try, among them Astrid and Ruffnut. When all the Viking women had finally left, Frieda let out a little sigh, twinged with relief, Hiccup thought.

"Well, that's everybody, and no one can get the dragon spit out."

"That's because you aren't doing it right!" blurted a distinctive Scottish voice. Frieda glanced with alarm over the crowd as Merida moved to the front. Neither Heather nor Frieda recognized her, though Hiccup could tell that Heather was putting the pieces together. Merida walked boldy to the washing bowl, rolling up her sleeves as she moved.

"But, but . . ."

"I said all women, Frieda," Hiccup told her, his voice lined with ice. Frieda glanced at him, the two locked in a staring contest. They broke off at the sound of Merida's scoff, she had begun cleaning the shirt. Frieda glared holes into the Scot's head, but Merida paid no mind and kept cleaning, the whole hall silent with anticipation. When she was finished, she handed the shirt to Hiccup. He smelled the shirt, Merida had been right, her mother's soap did the trick!

He grinned at her, "You did it! You got it out! We are going to need that recipe now."

"What? She cheated? You cheated? You were going to rip my daughter's happiness away from her!"  
"Quiet, Frieda! We both know, we all know, that you're not doing this for Heather, you're not doing this for anyone but yourself."

"But Heather!"

"If you were really doing this for Heather, you'd let her fall in love and help her get through the hard times that will assuredly come to all of us, regardless of our status in life."

"No, she is going to make me a queen!" shrieked Frieda, knocking Hiccup to the ground with her magic staff. Merida leaped into action, catching a staff Gobber threw to her, and began battling the witch. It really did not take long before Merida knocked the magical staff out of Frieda's hands, sending it crashing to the floor. The ogres and trolls shook their heads as if waking up from a dream, and glanced around in surprise. Several Vikings set about explaining everything to them while Merida and Frieda faced each other.

"S-so this wasn't about making me happy?" Heather asked her mother.

Frieda barely glanced at her daughter before turning her full attention to Merida, "You'll thank me for this later, Heather. True love doesn't exist, all nothing but lies."

"B-but Hiccup and Merida love each other . . ."

Frieda glanced at her sharply, "Y-you were in on this, you were helping them?" Heather nodded defiantly.

"Take your pick, Frieda, either live with us peacefully, or leave. Either way, I am not marrying your daughter." With a snarl, Frieda attacked him. Hiccup stumbled backwards, a knife imbedded in his side.

"Hiccup!" screamed several people, but Valka and Merida reached his side first, seeking to relieve his pain. Another scream attracted their attention. They glanced back at Frieda, she was slowly turning into a bear.

"Th-the spell," muttered Hiccup, wide-eyed at the changes. He slowly stood as the changes completed. "The witch put in something extra, if anyone hurt me or Eret before the first day of spring, you would be turned into a bear for three years. When the three years are up, you will be returned to your human form. Until then, I suggest you take this moment and leave, before I am unable to restrain them." Hiccup tilted his head to the side, indicating the not-so-happy Vikings, trolls, and ogres. Frieda glanced between them and Hiccup before giving a sharp growl and bounding out. Merida noticed Heather picking up the magic staff.

"Heather?"

She sighed, "I-I need some time alone, to think things through, and I'll return the staff to its original owner. When, when I'm done, would you still help me find my true love?"

"Of course I will, just, if you can't find me in Scotland, check here, I might be married by then," she glanced back and smiled at Hiccup, his wound being tended to by Valka.

"Thanks, Merida," Heather hugged her, then turned and left, the mood was a bittersweet one as they really didn't have a problem with her.

"And now, as for you," Merida turned to Hiccup.

"Huh? What about mmm . . ." Merida cut him off with a kiss.

"I love you, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third."

"I love you, Merida of Dunbroch, but you really didn't have to use my full name, everyone here knows it." Merida snickered.

"Well, looks like we won't be having a wedding, so . . ."

"Actually, we will, Astrid, Eret?" The two came forward beaming, and the wedding was underway.


	9. Brown Bear: Search & Rescue

Spring came soon, and with it came the Scots, looking for their princess, while the trolls and ogres made their way back home, promising to keep an out for any dragons. Merida was helping Hiccup plan a rescue mission for the dragons when Valka showed in her parents. Elinor hugged her daughter, while Fergus shook hands with Hiccup, and explanations were given, the Scots had been snowed in ever since Merida had left. While Fergus and Elinor continued to talk of the mishaps encountered while trying to get out, Merida and Hiccup shared a glance, had Jack Frost been helping them this whole time? And if so, why? But the thought left almost as soon as it had come when Fergus interrupted their thoughts by offering Hiccup aid in finding the dragons.

"That would be great, thank you! Oh, um, can I ask another favor of you?"

"Well, that would all depend on what the favor is," quipped Fergus, glancing at his daughter before Elinor hit him.

"Well, I was wondering if you could set up a spot for Eret and Astrid to spend their honeymoon, they want to see Scotland."

"Of course, we'd love to! I'll figure something out when we get back," replied Elinor.

"Great, thanks, and you will have some time to plan, they're coming with us on the rescue."

"Wow, the dragons mean a lot to you Vikings, don't they?"

"Yeah, they're our best friends, they're family, we have to."

"And there's no telling what's being done to them," Valka stated.

"Well then, when are we leaving?"

Hiccup turned back to the desk and picked up a map, "In a couple of days, we're going to split up into four groups and scour the seas in four different directions. I only hope we're not too late, that Dagur has killed them all, or that Drago has got his hands on them."

"Which one's worse?"

"I would say Dagur because he would kill them, Drago would just try to control them all, both are equally insane, though."

"Hah! Let's see them go against an angry Scot, we'll see who's the more insane," grinned Fergus.

"Fergus!" Elinor berated him.

Hiccup chuckled nervously, "Right, now I'm not sure if it's a good thing you're on our side or not."

Fergus laughed, patting Hiccup on the back, "Consider it a good thing, because we're not just insane, we're also civilized."

"Oh, well that's a relief," quipped Valka. Merida snorted, and that got everyone laughing. Once they had finally calmed down, Hiccup spoke.

"Thank you, again, for the help. Could you help me separate everyone?"

"Beh-hah-ha! That's easy lad! All you have to do is say, 'Dunbrochs with me to the east, MacIntoshes to the west, MacGuffins to the north, and Dingwalls to the south'. Fairly simple enough, eh?"

Hiccup smacked his head, "Oh that's right, you are split into four clans, duh. I'm sorry, I clean forgot, that does make it easier. Well, I guess we'll just have to separate the Vikings then, and, if you don't mind, we'll be leading."

"Well there might be a few complaints about that, but these are your waters and your dragons."

"Thanks, come on, I think I know how to do this," stated Hiccup as he rushed out, the others not far behind.

The day of departure arrived, everyone finishing up a few last details before leaving, as not everyone would be going. Hiccup had Fishlegs and Gobber leading a group with the MacGuffins to search the north, Eret and Astrid would lead a group with the Dingwalls into the east, Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut would head west with the MacIntoshes, while Hiccup and Valka would have the Dunbrochs with their group in the south. The rest of the Scots returning home would travel with them until they reached Scotland. After weeks of searching the southern section, the green-capped cliffs of Scotland came into view. After the boats were replenished with supplies, the searchers aimed further south, Hiccup not quite as reluctant to leave as with his last visit.

"Hey, don't worry, you'll find them," Merida reassured him.

"Thanks Mer, I just hope we're not too late."

"Well, you'd better hurry up and get going then, ya silly fish, before it is too late."

"Silly fish? What? Where do you come up with these nicknames?"

Merida snorted, "A haddock is a fish, and that dragon rider outfit of yours isn't helping any."

"Ha-ha, right, of course, come here you." He pulled the giggling redhead closer and gave her a kiss. "I'll have a silly nickname for you when I get back."

"Right, good luck with that. My name isn't as easy to play with as yours."

"Uh-huh, we'll see about that." He kissed her again. "I'll be back."

"I know you will." He gave her one last kiss before getting into the boat. Merida stayed on the port, watching them fade away into the horizon. "I hope you'll be back soon."


	10. Myrsina: Heather's Sister

"Excuse me? Are you Princess Merida?" asked the black-haired woman approaching Merida.

"Um, yes I am. And you are?" she asked as she shook the woman's hand.

"I'm Mavis, Heather's older sister," she smiled, perfect white teeth glistening through dark-colored lips.

Mavis stayed at Dunbroch a few weeks before the rest of the clans showed up, allowing Merida to introduce Mavis to the two men she thought of as prospective suitors for Heather. Mavis, however, didn't seem to care at all about them, she seemed more concerned with learning more about Merida. And whatever Merida didn't tell her, she learned from observation. It was pretty clear Merida loved her family, enjoyed a good apple, her bow, her freedom and was head over heels for the Viking Chief Hiccup, who was still searching with King Fergus for the missing dragons. The more Mavis learned, the colder and ruder she got to the princess. Merida couldn't fathom why Mavis was acting more and more horrid towards her, and whenever she asked, Mavis would give the same reply with the same cold smile on her face.

"Oh, don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. But then, you'll wish you hadn't." One time, Merida caught a cruel glint in Mavis' eyes, and was on guard ever since, the amnesty growing day by day between the two. It got to the point to where Elinor sat them down for a good talking-to.

"You two are constantly disrupting the peace of the castle! What do you have to say about that?"

"She started it," they both exclaimed, pointing at the other. Merida glanced at Mavis with surprise, what had she done to Mavis?

"Oh? What started it, exactly? No, wait, nevermind, forget it. It's been two weeks of this, I need you to put the past behind you and start over, for the good of everyone. Am I clear?" she glanced from one to the other. The two slowly nodded. "Good, now say you're sorry, shake hands, and I'd better not see anymore of this." The two stood, faced each other and shook hands.

"I'm sorry for whatever I did to hurt you," began Merida.

"And I'm sorry for being so rude," said Mavis.

"Good, now perhaps we can have some peace around here again." But once Elinor's back was turned, Mavis squeezed Merida's hand.

She leaned in, whispering, "But this is nothing compared to what I will ultimately do to you." She gave Merida a cruel smile before finally releasing her hand and walking away. Merida rubbed her stinging hand as she watched Mavis leave. What did Mavis have in store for her? What exactly had Merida done to deserve such cruel treatment? She rolled her eyes, she knew the answer, she would find out soon enough. But she was starting to feel uneasy about the whole thing, and a twinge of fear crept into her heart. She hoped it had nothing to do with her family or Hiccup, or she would enact the most horrible revenge on that Mavis.

Later, when thinking back on it, Merida began to wonder if it all started with asking about Heather. "So, Mavis, how's Heather?"

Mavis shot her a glare, "Don't you know? Oh, I forgot, you don't care about her."

Merida returned the glare, "If I didn't care about her, then why did I ask about her?" A sudden realization widened her eyes. "When was the last time you talked to her? And did you get your information from Frieda, or Heather?" Mavis stared at her with surprise and opened her mouth to say something, but snapped it shut and walked away. It was later that evening, when the two were alone in the hall, that Merida found out any more.

"Heather has been roaming, going from island to island. It took me a while to find her, but when I did, she pushed me away, telling me that she needed some alone time." Merida unconsciously nodded, Heather had told her that much. Mavis clenched her fists, "She did tell me why she was roaming, why she wanted to be alone, she wanted to think. Someone was taking her future away from her, by force, and she wanted to be alone to ponder if the path that had been chosen for her was really meant for her." Merida's eyes lit up, Heather was taking her life in her hands, she was going to look for her own happiness, without Frieda! Mavis continued, "She wouldn't tell me who was trying to take her future away, so I went to see mother about it." Merida's heart sank, now everything was making sense. "She told me exactly what had happened, and what you did to ruin my sister's happiness."

"I only ruined Frieda's plot to take over all of Berk! Your sister would never have been happy with Hiccup, not long after they were supposed to get married is when Hiccup would be changed completely into a bear! If I hadn't shown up, your sister would have been living her life miserably under your mother's thumb, the people of Berk would have lost their chief, whom they adore, and a mother would have lost her son. Whose happiness was Frieda thinking of? Only for herself, she wasn't even thinking about Heather, Heather would be losing her husband not long after marrying him. What kind of a happiness is that?"

"A lot better than what they have now, thanks to you," growled Mavis.

"Well I'm sorry if it takes more work than you'd like to get your happiness, but it's not only worth working for, it's also worth fighting for."

"I'm glad you think that way, because I'm about to give you the fight of your life. But right now, you have a choice, either you're gone by morning, or certain beds will be stained red."

Merida gasped, "You wouldn't."

"Oh I would, I'm that desperate. So I suggest you run, run as far and as fast as you can. I don't care where you go from here, as long as you run. Just run, little princess, just run."


	11. Myrsina: Run

"Just run, little princess, just run." Mavis' words echoed in Merida's ears, her cruel smile haunting her mind. She spurred Angus on, pushing him harder than she did that night when she rushed after Hiccup. She let out a sigh of relief, at least he and her father were watching each other's backs right now. They kept going long into the night, not realizing that Mavis wasn't far behind, making sure no one would follow either of them. But by doing that, put her far behind Merida, giving the princess a head start she didn't know she needed.

Merida eventually slowed down the pace, allowing her time to think of a plan. She kept on for a few days, a cold wind blowing through the trees every now and then, signaling the approaching chill of autumn. She found the witch's cave home empty, remembering that she wouldn't be moving in until late autumn. She set up camp for the night, fed her horse, and began planning. She pulled out a map of the islands that Hiccup had made for her, planning the best course to take.

"Well, Angus, I think our best bet would be to head to The Edge, we should be able to lay low there while we wait for Hiccup and dad to get back. Unless . . . unless I let you go back to the castle. Mavis might be looking for you to be with me, and I might not be able to find a big enough of a boat for the both of us at the dock." Merida let out a sigh, lowering her head onto her arms. "Oh, what should I do? Why is this happening? Why is Frieda so insistent on destroying everyone's lives, our happinesses, even that of her own daughter? Just so she could have more money, more control, more power?" Her body shook with sobs, her tears rolling off the table and onto the floor. Angus nudged his mistress, trying to do his best to comfort her. She let the tears roll out, tears that she had been holding in for many months, tears of fear, tears of sorrow, tears of rage, tears of relief. When she calmed down enough to see the map clearly, she plotted a course to The Edge before falling asleep.

The next day was spent in gathering supplies before heading off to the dock, leaving a note to the witch that she had been there. Angus got her to the port within a couple of hours. "Alright, which boat should I use?" There were two there, both looked sturdy and seaworthy, but neither of them was large enough to fit both her and Angus. She sighed, she was going to have to send her horse back home, again. She got into the boats for a closer inspection before choosing one. She loaded the supplies into the boat, checking and double-checking that she did have everything before covering it all up with her cloak. She unsaddled Angus for a good rub down before re-saddling him, with a note to her mother secured underneath. She placed her forehead against his, rubbing his mane. "You be careful on your back home, ya hear? I need that note to get to mom, not Mavis. If you have to, stop at the witch's until you know the coast is clear." Angus gave a little nod. "Good, be careful, Angus, and be safe." She wrapped her arms as best as she could around the horse's neck for one, final hug. She let go, and Angus, understanding the importance of his mission, took off for home. Merida watched him until he was a black speck on the horizon and shoved off, well, at least tried to. The boat was pretty stuck on the bank and Merida had to push, pull, and rock it back and forth before it finally budged. She was able to push it into the water rather easily after that, jumped in, and was rowing into open waters.

She pulled out the map every now and then to make sure she was heading in the right direction. She came across the first island on her trip to The Edge a couple of days out from Scotland, it was small, but it would work for a good night's sleep and possibly for replenishing her supplies. After an hour of exploration, she only found a few ripe berries which she ate gratefully. She plucked the rest after she had her fill and filled her water pouch with the little creek before turning in for the night. She woke the next morning, ate some more of the berries, and filled her pouch again before heading out. It took another three days before she came to the next island, a bit larger one with more variety of berries and a larger creek. She continued on for about another week in the same manner, coming across more islands before finally reaching The Edge. She quickly set about hiding the boat before taking her supplies to the base that Hiccup and his friends had set up a few years ago. She sat down for a simple dinner when the rainstorm struck. She chewed thoughtfully, listening to the thunder, she was lucky, and glad, that she hadn't encountered rain on her journey and that, for the most part, it was fairly easy. She quickly tidied up before heading to her make-shift bed, falling asleep to the steady rhythm of the rain.


	12. Myrsina: The Riders' Find

"So, what is it?" asked Tuffnut.

"Poke at it and find out," suggested Ruffnut.

"What in the world are you two doing?" asked Astrid as she and Eret came closer to inspect what the twins found.

"Trying to figure out what this is," replied Tuffnut, indicating a big, furry, creature in the corner, its steady breathing indicating that it was sound asleep.

"Hmm, it almost looks like a blanket," Fishlegs stated.

Astrid got closer and touched it gently, "I think you're right, Fishlegs."

"Which could only mean someone is asleep in it," pointed out Eret. He glanced at Astrid and the two nodded. They very carefully, very gently, very slowly, turned over the blanket. They uttered gasps when they saw the pale face and the mound of red curls.

"Merida?" exclaimed Eret.

"Shh! She's still asleep!" whispered Astrid.

"So, what should we do?" whispered Snotlout.

"Let her sleep for now. We'll ask her what she's doing here when she wakes up," stated Astrid.

"OK, but shouldn't we let Hiccup know she's here?" asked Fishlegs.

"We will, once we find out what's going on." Astrid got the gang up to leave Merida in sleep while they went about taking care of a few things.

Merida woke up about an hour later after the gang had found her and, not knowing she had company, set about getting some breakfast. She had just popped a berry into her mouth when Astrid came upon her. The two girls stared at each other for a bit before Merida jumped up, the two hugging.

"Merida! What's going on? Why are you here?" Astrid asked with concern.

Merida sighed, "It's a long story."

"Are you in trouble?"

"With Heather's sister."

"Who?"

Merida gave a little nod, "Heather has an older sister, Mavis, and she believes everything that Frieda told her about what happened between Heather, Hiccup, and myself."

Astrid's mouth fell open, "Heather's older sister? By the gods, what did she do that you had to come all the way over here?"

"She, she threatened to kill my family if I didn't run . . . away." Astrid quickly gave Merida another hug as the tears rolled down her face.

"Everything will be alright, we'll figure this out, don't worry. For now, you'll be safe here, only we know about this place."

"Merida! Is everything alright?" Eret asked when he came upon the two hugging.

"I think we'll have the whole story tonight at dinner. Come on, hurry up and finish breakfast, we'll show you around."

"Thanks," smiled Merida. She sat down to finish eating while Astrid helped Eret take his bundle to a spot in the back of the hut. When they came back, Merida was finished, and she joined them on their chores on The Edge. She gasped when she saw the landing platform.

"You found your dragons?"

Astrid chuckled as she petted a blue one, "Yup, this is Stormfly. Stormfly, this is Merida, she's a friend."

Eret approached a red one, "And this is Skullcrusher."

"Wow, does everybody have their dragons now?"

Eret nodded, "Yup, except Hiccup."

"What?"

"We found Dagur heading east with most of our dragons, he didn't have all of the ones he took. So I roughed him up and found out exactly what happened. He came across Drago, who paid for Toothless and a few other dragons, and went south."

"So, Hiccup's heading in the right direction!" Eret and Astrid nodded.

"Basically," continued Eret, "we did send a messenger down that way to let Hiccup know and to help if needed. The Scots who helped us are returning to their homes. They're not sure yet if they'll set out and help in the south. But several of our Vikings are preparing now to head south, we're staying behind to keep the village running and to keep an eye out for any stray dragons to pass through. Dagur had a lot of dragons, and I wouldn't be surprised if some come to call Scotland home."

Merida grinned, "That would be great! I'm happy that he didn't do anything to them."

"Yeah, that's another reason why we're staying behind, something was off about the whole thing. He should have killed them all by now, unless Drago said something to change his mind and wait, but still, it all seemed very strange. Hiccup would have figured it out by now, but we don't notice the same things that he does, so we're staying to see Dagur did something to the dragons that we can't see, or what. But we aim to get to the bottom of it, even if we take longer than Hiccup would," explained Astrid.

Merida shrugged, "That, or Hiccup is heading for the answer." Eret and Astrid blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what if the answer does lie with Drago? You won't find it with Dagur then. Though, Drago could have just suggested that Dagur let the dragons breed so he could continue hunting them."

"Hey! That could be it! You are definitely meant for Hiccup," Astrid grinned as she hugged Merida.

"Thanks, Astrid. But we won't know for sure until Hiccup gets back after dealing with Drago. I just hope he and my dad will be alright."

"I think they'll be fine. Hiccup has faced Drago before and won, and your dad looks like he can hold his own against several Vikings."

Merida snorted, "That's true. Well, can I see the rest of the dragons?"

"Sure! Follow me!" Astrid led her to where the rest of the Dragon Riders were, getting their dragons food. She was introduced to Hookfang, Snotlout's dragon, Meatlug, Fishlegs' dragon, and Barf and Belch, the twin headed dragon of Ruffnut and Tuffnut.

The rest of the day was filled with gathering food, the Riders taking turns in keeping a look-out for dragons, teaching Merida what to do when a dragon was to come when the others weren't there, and the group making plans for the week. They went over maps to see if there were islands they would have to check to see if any dragons decided on setting up their abode there, and to keep an eye out for Mavis. After dinner, Merida revealed her whole tale.

"She did what?"

"She believes Frieda?"

"She didn't bother checking with Heather?"

"I almost can't wait to meet her, so I can show her how I feel."

"Yeah, I bet our new trick would work wonders on her."

Ruffnut snickered, "Oh, I'll bet it would."

"Man, things have been pretty rough on you, and Heather, it looks like," stated Eret. "I hope she can get her sister to see the truth."

"If Frieda doesn't find a way to keep Heather from speaking the truth."

"Oh yeah, apparently this isn't the first time Frieda's tried to do this."

Merida nodded, "Heather told me."

"The whole story?" Merida slowly shook her head. "Well, apparently Frieda tried to get some uppity prince interested in Heather or Mavis. Jack Frost and a few others spoiled the whole thing, got the prince married to his true love, and freed the stepsister they had working as a slave."

Merida blinked, "J-Jack Frost?"

Eret nodded, "Kinda helpful that whole time, right?"

"Well, if you consider only getting us to Berk as being extremely helpful. There was quite a few other things he could have done to help."

Eret shrugged, "Well, I think that he did a lot more than we didn't know about. Remember, Merida, he did keep Scotland well snowed in so that you could free Hiccup without the threat of the ogres and trolls killing your people.."

"True."

"And Hiccup had made another deal with him to find out what was happening on Berk, Jack really did seem upset that we weren't able to go through with the deal after all. And I don't think he could help much on Berk because of Frieda's magic staff. We found out it was stolen from a powerful wizard's home while he on vacation in Scotland, no less, and she could do almost anything with it. Jack knew that he was better off keeping your family safe instead of letting Frieda control him."

"Oh, wow, that, that puts everything in a new light!"

Eret grinned, "It does, doesn't it? One of the ogres whom Frieda had under her control was a friend of Jack's actually, there was more than one reason why Jack Frost wanted to help us."

"Wow, now I'm feeling bad that I thought of Jack Frost as being selfish and rude. He did have his reasons, he just couldn't let us know out of fear that if we had that knowledge, things could be worse."

Eret nodded, "Yup, and I heard a rumor that there was snow occurring down south, Jack could be keeping an eye on Hiccup and be on hand if help is needed."

Merida sighed, "That's the first good news I've heard about them all month. I can rest a bit easier knowing that they're in pretty good hands."

Eret smiled, "Right, figured that you would want to know that."

"So, are we going to send out a message to Hiccup and let him know Merida is here?" Fishlegs asked.

Astrid shook her head, "We don't need that message falling into Mavis' hands by accident. If she just stays here, she'll be safe. We can't let anyone know that she's here right now, except maybe Gobber. We don't need anyone accidently letting out a word about this, alright? So everyone keep your mouths shut, we don't need Merida dead before she gets married."

Snotlout yawned, "Well, this is all great and everything, but I need some sleep before Fishlegs and I head out tomorrow."

"Sleeping sounds like a good idea for now," stated Astrid, as Fishlegs and the twins stifled their own yawns. A few minutes later, everyone was sound asleep, except for Merida. She stayed up till late in the night, Hiccup's smiling face imprinted on her mind, his gentle voice echoing in her ears, and the touch of his lips remembered on her lips.


	13. Myrsina: Jack's Role

Jack Frost flew over the boats continuing their journey south. He could hear the worry in Hiccup's voice whenever he spoke. Jack rolled his eyes, "You didn't lose any time whatsoever, Master Chief, by stopping to help that prince. Drago can wait pretty patiently." But being invisible, nobody heard the remark, and Hiccup continued to worry. Fergus did his best to relieve some of the stress and worry that Hiccup felt, but it only worked for a bit before Hiccup felt it again. He really is worried about the dragons, and about what Drago might do to his Scottish allies, thought Jack. Jack sighed, shaking his head, there really wasn't much that Hiccup had to worry about, even from the dragons.

Jack decided to fly ahead to check out Drago's stronghold, and found it not that strong. Jack glanced around the place, Drago had a lot of dragons, probably a lot gathered from his roaming as Jack could tell that not all of them were from Berk, but Drago also had a lot of problems. The dragons all had to be caged, they were running amok, and Drago's alpha couldn't control them, not could anyone else, it seemed. At this point, Jack wouldn't be surprised if Drago might end up being glad to see Hiccup so he could take the dragons off of Drago's hands. A grin widened on Jack's face as an idea formed in his head, there was the black dragon. Boy, that thing was a beauty, but Drago was harsher on it than the others, and Jack decided to relieve Drago of an dragon. He waited until he was sure everyone was asleep before freeing that dragon. The dragon was more than happy to be out of its cage, even nudging Jack, trying to give him a ride.

Jack shook his head, "No fella, I can fly myself. But you should head north, you'll be safer there." The dragon's head nodded and gave him a lick before taking off, flying north. Jack watched it disappear into the night sky before turning to see what other mischief he could cause before heading back to the boats. He froze a few more locks, breaking them and waiting to see what would happen when the dragons woke up and found themselves free. It wasn't long before he got to see the dragons happily break free, most of them getting away before the Vikings woke up and found out what was going on. They tried to recapture the remaining dragons, but they were given a hard time, dragons flying and knocking them around this way and that. Jack rolled over laughing at the chaos he had caused, this was way too much fun. He couldn't wait until Hiccup and his team arrived to finish up. Jack waited a bit longer, watching the Vikings finally manage to get the dragons they captured back into their cages, but the dragons now had a taste of freedom, and probably wouldn't pass up the next chance they got. Drago walked just as Jack was about to leave.

"What happened here? Who let out the dragons?"

"N-none of us, sir, we were all asleep when we heard the commotion and came to check on them." Drago glanced at the men before turning to the locks. He grabbed one, and let it drop with a gasp. He glanced back around before looking at the window where Jack perched. Jack felt pretty sure he was invisible, but shot Drago a 'try me' glare before taking off. However, a few snowflakes fell from Jack's jacket, giving Drago the answer he was looking for.

Jack returned to the boats, right as they were pulling into port. Jack saw that Hiccup had put all thought aside other than facing Drago.

"Alright, we will have to fan out to find Drago's fort," began Hiccup.

Jack scoffed, "No you don't. Look behind you, on the ground."

"Chief, look, snowflakes!" a Viking shouted, pointing at the ground behind Hiccup's feet. Hiccup turned, and saw the trail of snowflakes.

"Jack Frost," he whispered, glancing around in vain for the invisible winter sprite. "Come on, we have to follow the trail before the snowflakes melt!" Hiccup waved them forward before taking off on the trail, and both Vikings and Scots followed with glee. Jack grinned as he watched them go, following the trail he left for them. He lounged on one of the masts, waiting a few minutes before taking off, heading back towards Drago's fort. A battle was well underway when he arrived, Hiccup's Vikings and the Scots were pretty evenly matched against Drago's Vikings, Hiccup taking on Drago himself. Jack flew around, laughing as he made the floor like ice, causing some of the enemy Vikings to fall on the ground. After helping out some of the Scots, freeing them up to aid with their allies, Jack turned his attention back to Hiccup and Drago. They were going at it good, Drago's large form provided strong hacks, but Hiccup's limber form moved quickly, almost like lightning, keeping him out of the way of the deadly blows. Jack winced when one of Drago's blows hit the floor, mere inches from Hiccup's head, and it splintered. Jack was awfully glad that Hiccup rolled when he did, or it would have been all over. Letting out a breath, Jack sent a blast of cold wind, toppling Drago over.

Drago let out a yell before standing back up, "Show yourself Jack Frost! I know you're there!"

Jack stepped into visibility, "Well, if you know I'm here, what's the point of needing to see me?" With a grin, Jack swung his staff, and knocked Drago off his feet again. Hiccup quickly rose to stand by his unlooked-for ally, his sword ready for another strike.

"Thanks for the help," Hiccup whispered.

"Don't thank me yet," returned Jack, their eyes never leaving the slowly rising form of Drago. He turned to face the two, rage written in his face and eyes. He lifted his sword high in the air, waved it around, and yelled. Jack blinked in surprise, "OK, now I know he's crazy."

Hiccup took a step back, "That's how he calls his alpha to him. I need to find Toothless!" He turned to ask Jack something, but the sprite was gone. Jack, invisible again, flew towards the dragon cages, searching desperately for the Nightfury. He paused in his search, if the Nightfury had defeated the alpha before, Drago would probably want to keep him close. He turned and rushed back towards the battle scene, just as the alpha rose from the sea behind Drago's fort. Jack saw him first, strapped to the alpha's horn, and flew towards the struggling black dragon. He iced up the ropes, causing them to brittle and break, and helped Toothless glide to the ground.

"Toothless!" Hiccup shouted, rushing towards his best friend.

"Kill them both!" roared Drago. The alpha opened his mouth to let out a blast of cold air.

"No!" yelled Jack, calling up everything he had and sent a blast of ice at the alpha, distracting him long enough for Toothless and Hiccup to reunite. "I need them alive," he grumbled to the alpha. He sent another wave of ice, snow, and cold air at the alpha before gliding to the ground below, letting Hiccup and Toothless take over. His vision started to blur, but he could tell that Toothless was glowing blue.

Jack chuckled, "That dragon is full of surprises. I hope the other one gets to your princess in time." A soft smile on his face, he staggered off, not stopping to rest until he made it to a secluded spot that he could ice up before collapsing into a much needed nap.


	14. Myrsina: Rescuing Dragons

Hiccup searched high and low for Jack Frost, but there was no sign of him, not even a snowflake. After much convincing, and coming up empty handed, Hiccup finally called off the search for the winter sprite. He still didn't know why Jack had helped them, nor if there was a price to pay. He voiced his concerns to his mother while they freed dragons from their cages.

"Don't worry about it now, Hiccup, he'll probably let you know what the price is. He does know how to find you."

Hiccup chuckled, "That's true. I just hope it's nothing too big. Though, I do wonder . . ."

"What?"

"I'm pretty sure he said he needed us alive. I wonder what for?"

Valka snickered, "To pay the price, of course. What else?"

Hiccup shrugged, "Mmm, I guess so. Hey, mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever seen these dragons before?" Valka looked through the cage that Hiccup pointed to. There, sitting in the middle, rather comfortably, sat a female dragon with six little dragons flying around her. The baby dragons were the weirdest ones they had ever seen, they almost looked like a mix of dragon and a mammal with their furry bodies, dragon wings, and dragon tail.

"Huh, those are the weirdest dragons I have ever seen," began Valka as the family moved closer to the bars. One of the babies sneezed out a fireball, Hiccup and Valka moving quickly so as not to be singed. Valka laughed, "But they are dragons, no doubt, and rather cute at that." She opened the door and petted one of the babies. "Wow, you are so soft."

Hiccup petted another one before glancing at the mother, "Mom, I think she's been around humans before, look at how calm she is."

"Yes, which means someone besides the father of these babies is worried about her." Valka let go of the baby to open the door wider so the mother dragon could move through. "Go ahead, go home, let your mate and your friends know you are alright." The dragon let out a growl that sounded like an attempt at thank you, nuzzled Valka, and gave another growl, apparently an order to her children as they flew onto her and clung on tight. She moved out into the open, flexed her wings, and took off.

"Have a safe trip!"

"Hope to see you again!" Hiccup glanced at his mother and smiled, following her back to the cages.

"So, either the father is a furry dragon, but Drago left him because he looked like a mammal, or he really is a mammal. But a dragon mating with a mammal, that doesn't seem quite possible."

Valka shrugged, "There's still a lot about dragons that we don't know. Perhaps it is possible for dragons and mammal to mate, even though dragons are usually considered reptiles."

"Unless, unless, dragons are in fact more like mammals than reptiles, and we've just been classifying them wrong. I mean, based on what Antonio was telling us, there are several mammals that eat meat. Dragons could just be another one."

"Very true, but dragons do lay eggs, like reptiles do."

"Yeah, well, they could be sorta a mix between reptile and mammal, I guess, it's the only way that combination could work otherwise."

"Learn something new every day," grinned Valka.

Hiccup glanced at his dozing Nightfury before chuckling, "Yeah, I guess so."

After all the dragons had been freed from their cages, the group made camp, most of the dragons staying behind. The Scots took a few hints from their Viking allies on how to bond with their own dragons, and several made friends that night. Names were soon given to the bonded dragons, King Fergus naming his Mor'du. Sitting around the fire with their dragons, stories were swapped of everyone's achievements during the battle. Praise was given to Hiccup for standing against Drago, and gratitude went into the sky for Jack Frost's aid. The next day, Hiccup split up the group, one to travel by sea, the other by dragons. The way back was much faster and easier with the aid of the dragons. Hiccup decided to stop by Apollonia to let Antonio know what was going on and to check up on his new friend. They spent a couple of days at the palace with the hospitality of the king and queen as gratitude for helping them and their son. They left with gifts from Apollonia and promises of friendship. It took them a while longer still, but they had finally made it back to Scotland, ready to celebrate their victory, and ready to rest. However, Elinor met them at the door with disturbing news.

"Merida's gone missing! And Mavis with her!"


	15. Myrsina: Healing Each Other

Merida grew content, and less cautious, in her peaceful life on The Edge. Her daily routine consisted of gathering food, inspecting the island for stranded dragons, practicing archery and now axes, thanks to Astrid, though Merida still preferred the bow, learned some more about dragons, usually from Fishlegs, helped the riders plan for searching more islands, and even had a bit of time between all of that with eating, cleaning, and sleeping for some sewing. She wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to sew at first, so just started off with mending clothes and working on extra blankets. Soon, she began working on a quilt and a dress. The quilt was made of extra pieces of the blankets and the clothes she mended, adding the scraps from her dress, and stuffed with wool. The dress was pretty simple and comfortable, easy to move around in, but also rather pretty. It was almost white with the barest hint of red. dark green, almost black, Celtic knots were embroidered on the bodice. She had to pause after a while, she didn't know what to do for the hem. She rubbed her eyes and turned back to the dress when a noise from outside startled her. Picking up her candle and grabbing her bow and quiver, walked outside to investigate. She shone her light everywhere just outside the hut, but seeing nothing, moved farther away from the hut. It really didn't take long to find the source of the noise as a black shape rose up on its haunches. An image of Mor'du flashed before her eyes, but she shook the image out of her mind, and took a closer look at the form standing before her. It was definitely a dragon, a very black dragon.

"Toothless?" The dragon went down on all fours, watching her questioningly. Merida caught a glimpse of its tail. She gasped, "You're not Toothless, you're another Nightfury!" She gave a squeal and rushed forward to hug the dragon when it backed up, a growl rumbling in its throat. "Oh, right, sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. We've been looking for you for a long time." The growling stopped, but the dragon took another step back. Merida sighed and put out her hand, her palm facing the dragon's nose. She waited calmly as the dragon watched her intently. When it saw that she made no other noise nor movement, it slowly inched forward. Merida stayed perfectly still, watching the dragon as intently as it was watching her. Finally, contact was made as the dragon touched her hand with its nose.

Smiling broadly, Merida rubbed its nose, "Good dragon, good dragon. Now I just have to figure out if you're a boy or a girl. It would be great if you are a girl." A smile seemed to appear on the dragon's face before it closed its eyes and collapsed on the ground. Merida quickly turned the dragon over, and found an arrowhead embedded in its chest. "No wonder why you were so cautious," gasped Merida. She rushed back into the hut for some blankets, water, and tools to get the arrowhead out. It took her almost all night, but she finally got the arrowhead out, and patched up the Nightfury as well as she could. Remembering what Fishlegs had told her about the differences between male and female dragons, she searched for the tell-tale signs as she cleaned up. Once she had gotten back into the hut and picked up the tools and the rest of the first-aid kit, she jumped up and down. This Nightfury was a girl! Nightfuries could make a comeback! She took a few breaths to calm herself down before heading back out and covering the dragon with the blankets, falling asleep next to her.

Both slept until late the next morning, Merida bouncing up to get the dragon and herself some breakfast, thinking of names along the way. More than half of the names she had thought of were eliminated quickly, none of them seemed to fit a female Nightfury. She fed the dragon before getting her to move to one of the cages. The female dragon refused to enter any of them, only accepting the open-skyed roost.

"Don't like being caged, huh, girl? Kinda know that feels." She patted the dragon again before leaving to take care of some chores before lunch. She still thought of names while she did her chores, narrowing them down one at a time. When lunch came around, she was down to three names. She brought her lunch and the dragon's to the roost, the two eating silently.

"Hmm . . . I think Morrigan's the best name for you. She's a goddess of war and death, and black's her color. How about it, then, Morrigan?" The dragon nuzzled her, she seemed to like it. Merida grinned, "Then Morrigan it is. It's a lot better than Toothless, to be sure." A vibrating sound came from the dragon, she sounded like she was laughing. Merida snickered, "Wait until you see his rider. Imagine an auburn haired lad, a mind sharper and brighter than a blade hidden behind a pair of summery green eyes." Merida paused as the image burned into her mind. A nudge from the dragon snapped her out of the stupor, glancing at her quizzically. "Yeah, he's very handsome, and I love him with all my heart. He's the chief of Berk, and the Dragon Master, he earned that by saving Toothless. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third." The dragon raised her head, as if unsure of what to think of that name, while Merida burst out laughing. After attempting to calm down, a little hiccup came out, and she started all over again, Morrigan seemed to join in. Finally calming down, Merida straightened up the roost before checking on Morrigan's wound. She put some clean bandages on it, petted Morrigan under her chin, and left to take care of the rest of the chores. The next few days were spent in much the same way, Merida eating her meals with Morrigan, Merida doing all the talking, while Morrigan nuzzled her or laughed at the appropriate times, ending each meal with Merida checking the wound to make sure it was healing right.

When the Riders returned from a northern trip, Gobber was with them to check up on Merida, while Fishlegs just about went nuts that another Nightfury had arrived, and a female at that.

"This is awesome! Toothless isn't the only one anymore!" Fishlegs just about squealed.

"And you've bonded with her, that's great!" stated Astrid as she hugged Merida.

Gobber got closer to Morrigan for a look at her wound, "And her wound is healing up nicely. Good job, Merida. We might have lost her if you hadn't acted as quickly as you did."

Merida shrugged, "Well, if there's anything I know, it's about bows and arrows. I'm just glad that she made it here and that I was here to take care of her."

"Me too. Well, soon you won't be stuck on The Edge anymore, you can ride Morrigan and join us in our search for other dragons!"

Merida grinned, "I can't wait for that. How about you, girl?" Morrigan nodded, excitement clear in her eyes.

"Well, before that, we should get you a saddle," pointed out Eret.

Merida scoffed, "I've ridden Angus without a saddle, this shouldn't be much different."

"Well . . ."

"You should have the saddle anyway, just in case," came Astrid's response.

Merida shrugged, "Alright." The talk turned to the islands they had searched, kind of upset that they hadn't come across some of the still missing dragons, or any new ones like Morrigan who needed a home. They went over the map again before leaving the next morning, promising to return in a few days with a saddle for Morrigan. And not a single one of them had Mavis on their minds, which would be righted soon enough, a little too soon, perhaps. With a wounded dragon as her only back-up, Merida was pretty much on her own when Mavis came.


	16. Myrsina: No Running

The day started off like any other that past week, Merida took breakfast to the roost, and she and Morrigan ate in each other's company. Merida checked Morrigan's wound, it was healing quite nicely, and put on clean bandages before heading back to the hut for morning chores. She took a breath once inside, she hadn't realized just how easy it had been to have servants back at the castle.

"I'll never speak bad of another servant as long as I live," she mumbled as she went about taking care of the laundry. Around lunch, Merida noticed a change in the weather. Morrigan seemed to notice it too, a bit of uncertainty in her eyes. "Oh, don't worry, Morrigan, it's just Jack Frost bringing in winter. He's a friend." Merida smiled as she patted Morrigan reassuringly. The two sat down for lunch, and Merida told her of all that Jack Frost did for her and Hiccup, at the price of six strands of hair. Before she left the roost, she glanced up at the sky. "Jack, could you please tell Hiccup and my family where I am and that I'm alright? I've made my mother worry for far too long." A slight, cold wind seemed to pick up before quickly dying down. Merida let out a gasp, that must have been Jack Frost himself! "Thank you," she whispered. She got up and checked Morrigan's wound before heading back to the hut for the rest of the day's chores.

It was about sunset when they arrived. Merida didn't know of their presence until they found her, telling Morrigan a story about her brothers' mischief.

"Well, well, so this is where you've been hiding out. Very smart." Merida's head swung around to face the owner of the voice. Mavis' cruel smile met her, that smile that she had finally gotten out of her mind.

"Mavis! What are you doing here?" Merida rose, a threat in her stance. With a dragon backing her up, though wounded, and her family far away from the danger, Merida felt she could take down Mavis, her armoured friend, their spiny dragon, and then some.

"I told her this needed to end," said the person in armor, taking off the helmet. Merida's eyes widened, the helmet released the brown braid of Heather.

"H-Heather?"

"I want this to be over with, but I don't want either of you killed. So, I request a sword duel. Whoever wins is telling the truth, and the winner will have to decide what the loser's punishment is for the lies." She glanced at Mavis, "Without death as an option. Is that fine?"

Merida let out a little breath, Heather was still on her side, "That sounds fair enough. Though, I must admit, I do not have a sword."

Heather unsheathed hers, "You can use mine." Morrigan took a step forward, but Merida placed a hand on her nose to stop her.

"No, it's alright Morrigan, she's a friend. Stay here," she whispered in the dragon's ear. Morrigan relaxed a bit, but she still eyed both Heather and Mavis with uncertainty. Heather stepped forward and handed Merida her sword while Mavis unsheathed her own. Giving Morrigan a reassuring pat on the nose, Merida stepped down from the roost to face her foe on more even grounds. Mavis and Heather seemed a bit taken aback, when Merida descended, it seemed like a queen was coming down to meet them. Even in simple, almost peasant-like, clothing, Merida looked far more queenly than Frieda ever could. Heather let a small smile slip over her face, Merida was a much better choice for Hiccup than she ever could be. She glanced at the back of her sister, she just hoped she could get her sister to see the evil that was in their mother before Frieda convinced Mavis to do anything stupid or drastic. Mavis leveled her sword at Merida, ready to begin. Merida closed her eyes for a split second before lowering her own sword. Heather took a step back as the two charged and swords met with a thundering crash, red and black dancing on dying green. Mavis swung hard and fast, coming at Merida from every angle. But Merida, though a bit rusty at first, had been trained pretty well in swordplay and parried each attack easily. Merida also had to keep in mind that she was fighting a woman who wanted her dead and not her father, who would have stopped at a any time that Merida showed strain. Merida let Heather's words into her mind and concentrated on them, the winner told the truth. She knew she had told the truth, as did Heather, but this seemed to be the only way to convince Mavis of it. Merida had to win, for her family, for Hiccup, for Morrigan, for Heather, and yes, even for Mavis. If winning this battle meant that Heather would now have the opening she needed to get through to her sister about Frieda, then Merida was more than happy, more than willing to give her that opening. However, to do that, Merida needed to find an opening to disarm Mavis, and with Mavis constantly putting Merida on defense, it wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do. The two were tiring, but relentless. Heather was thinking about stepping in when Merida found the opening she was looking for, and disarmed Mavis. Mavis sank to the ground, panting hard, Merida leaned on her sword, about ready to topple over herself.

Heather moved forward and raised Merida's hand, "Merida is the winner!" She walked to where Mavis laid on the ground and gave her a hand to get up. "Now will you listen to me?"

Mavis yanked her arm from Heather's grasp, "Maybe." She walked to the spiny dragon while Heather retrieved her sword from Merida.

"You did wonderfully! Thank you! Maybe now I have a chance to get through to my sister," Heather stated as she quickly hugged Merida.

"Good, I have a lot of worried people to talk to, reassure them that I'm alright."

Heather nodded, "Well, good luck with that. And I'll still come to see you in Scotland, I promise, I just need a bit more time to think through some things."

"Why don't you go ahead and come to Scotland now? My mom could help out with a lot, I don't have to introduce you to the clan heirs just yet . . . thankfully."

Heather laughed, "They really aren't your type, huh?"

Merida sighed, "Nope. In a way, I guess I should be thanking you. If it hadn't been for you and Frieda, I might not have met Hiccup."

"Well then, all's well that ends well, right?" smiled Mavis as she returned to join the two. She held in her hand three apples. "I know you like apples, so, instead of wine or beer, how about we toast your victory with an apple?"

"Mavis, that's a great idea!" Heather hugged her sister. "You are so smart."

Merida grinned, "I like that a lot better than beer or wine, you have no idea how bad they taste. Bleh!" Heather and Merida burst out laughing, but Mavis had a smile plastered on her face.

"Then I hope to never taste either one. Here, for you Merida, and for you Heather. To the truth, and a brighter future." Mavis had them get their stems to touch.

"This should become your new thing, Mer. I'll only come to your wedding if you do this."

Merida laughed, "Consider it done then. To the truth, a brighter future, and to friends."

"Here, here!" shouted Heather. The three bit into their apples and munched giddly, Mavis watching Merida intently. When she finished swallowing, a change came over her. She turned deadly pale and staggered backwards. "Merida!" shrieked Heather as she caught her friend, catching her before she hit the ground. "Merida, wake up, wake up. Merida!" Heather tried everything she could think of to wake her up, but when Merida gave no response, she glanced up helplessly at her sister. "Mavis, what . . . what did you do?"

Though the smile was still plastered on her face, it was clear her eyes were hard, "Only what mother suggested, that I poison her. It's a specific poison that we had to make, but it's clearly effective." She bent over and picked up the apple, sticking it in her pocket. "Come along, I want to get back to mother before the week's out. Heather, now!" Heather hadn't moved from her friend's body growing colder by the minute, tears streaming down her face.

"Wh-why? Why won't you believe me? Why would you listen to mother when she prefers me over you? When she wants me to have a happy ending but doesn't care one bit about you?"

"Oh, but she does care about me."

"Just to do her dirty work! She'd rather have you caught and blamed for all of her wrong than her!" Mavis' eyes widened, her lips started to curl with anger as she stepped forward. But both dragons stopped from taking another step closer to either body. "No, don't hurt her, we're leaving, we've done enough damage as it is. Morrigan, I'm charging you with watching over her body until the Riders get back, alright?" Morrigan gave her a little nod, any suspicion she might have had of the brunette completely vanished. Heather rose from the body and, giving it one last, loving look, took Mavis off The Edge, swearing to drop off her sister wherever she wanted, and never having any contact with her or Frieda for the rest of her life.

Morrigan stayed by the body, she didn't need to be told to do so, she would have done anything for the girl who saved her from her arrow wound and whom she had come to love so dearly. Thankfully, she only had to wait one day before the Riders returned, finding her guarding a body that had once been so full of life.


	17. Myrsina: Jack's Price

"Jack, Jack, please, I need your help! Just tell me what your price is, I'll do anything, please! Just, just tell where I can find Merida, please. Jack, please, if that Mavis witch gets her hands on her, she'll, she'll kill her!"

Jack scoffed, "No she won't, Heather will make sure of that. I've noticed some of their progress, Heather has taken every precaution to make sure Merida doesn't die, and don't worry, I've put in a bit of aid. However, now that you're here, we can discuss the details of your payment. I can throw in a little bit extra right now and get you the information that you need to save Merida, since you're so concerned about it. But I'm letting you know now, she isn't dead."

"Are-are you completely sure?"

"Oh, very, there is no doubt about it. I swear, sometimes I wonder if she's part dragon, she generates so much heat." Jack fiddled with the neck of his jacket, adding emphasis.

"OK, then, if she's still alive, then I'll take care of the payment now."

Jack smiled, "Great." He pulled out two phials from his pocket, one seemed to glow a fiery red, while the other was a royal blue. "I need you to hide these two in a safe place for me."

"What's so important about them?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out when it's time. There will be others later, so if you ever need anything else from me, the rest will count as payment, depending on how large your order is, of course."

"Of course." Hiccup sighed as he took the phials from Jack, "Where do you want me to hide them?"

"There's an island down south, you should know what I'm talking about, it's the island home of that Sea Maiden your friend fell in love with." Hiccup glanced up sharply at Jack, what was there that he didn't know? "There's a spot in the middle of the crocodile infested swamp with a lone tree growing on it. There's a little hole in the middle of the tree that's shaped like a dragon."

"Uh, why couldn't you put it in there yourself?"

Jack rolled his eyes, "First of all, I didn't have the phials at that time, I was looking for a hiding place for when they were ready. Secondly, I couldn't there stay long, it's too hot. I was only there for a few minutes before I found it, and I had to leave, the heat was getting unbearable, not long enough to hide something. Seriously, how do you guys stand it?"

Hiccup shrugged, "One day at a time. So, in the middle of a crocodile-infested swamp stands a tree with a hollow shaped like a dragon, right?"

Jack nodded, "That's right."

"And you want these phials in there, plus any others you'll make?"

"Yup."

Hiccup sighed and glanced at Toothless, "Well, bud, you ready for a long trip back south?" Toothless panted, a smile on his face, giving a nod. "Alright, we're going south then. But I need you to make sure that Merida stays safe until I get back."

Jack nodded, "Right, but that can only be done if we can go our separate ways."

Hiccup sighed, "Oh, alright. Come on bud, let's get this over and done with so we can get back and blow Mavis to smithereens, if we need to."

"Wow, kinda violent today, aren't we?"

"Nobody threatens my family and gets away with it," growled Hiccup.

Jack scoffed before taking off, "Same here, but that didn't stop anything." Hiccup glanced at him with surprise, but Jack was long gone before Hiccup could say another word. Toothless' black mass streaked into the sky, and took off south. They went back to Apollonia and asked for the coordinates of the island where Rosella had been found. Once they got them, they set out again, heading more south. It took them a couple of days, but they finally found the island.

"Whoa," breathed Hiccup when they landed. It was the complete opposite of Berk, a tropical paradise, minus the crocodiles, of course. But Berk had dragon problems back in the day, so it really wasn't that much different, except crocodiles weren't exactly the easiest to train. Hiccup and Toothless explored the island for bit, coming across the crocodile-infested swamp fairly quickly. "OK bud, you're going to have to keep an eye out for the crocodiles, I don't see a way for you to fly through this, or even over, so we're going to have to walk. If there's anything to walk on. See anything bud?" Toothless let out a grunt, there were shapes moving in the water. "Hmm . . . Toothless, shoot a flame ball in their midst." Toothless glanced at Hiccup before shooting a fireball at the crocodiles. They quickly vanished, a new and strange predator had appeared on the spot, and they retreated to watch from a distance. But a few braver crocs resurfaced, still cautious though. "OK bud, just be ready." Hiccup took a breath, and jumped across, landing on top of a crocodile. The crocodile stayed still, its eyes locked in a battle with Toothless' eyes. Hiccup took another breath and jumped onto another crocodile. He kept jumping from croc to croc, until he reached the middle of the swamp. "OK, Toothless! If you wanna come across, you can! Or you could wait right there!" He heard a snort, but wasn't sure if that meant yes or no. Thinking that Toothless didn't have to be there to help, he went towards the tree and started looking for the hollow that was shaped like a dragon. He found it, just below a branch about eye level. He put in his hand, for a small opening, the hollow was pretty large, Jack could hide dozens of his phials in there. But Hiccup only had to worry about two right now, so he pulled them out of his pockets, one at time, and placed them one at a time, carefully, inside the hollow. He turned, and yelped, he was surrounded by hungry-eyed crocodiles. "Uh, Toothless, Toothless! I could use some help here!" Hiccup pulled out his sword and ignited it. The crocodiles gave a fairly wide berth, but they went back in the instant the sword was facing somewhere else. "Toothless, where are you, bud?" A roar came in answer as Toothless practically flew across the swamp, shooting fireballs this way and that, avoiding Hiccup and the tree. The crocs quickly retreated, and this time, they didn't bother to resurface. "Thanks bud, just don't wait too long next time." Toothless laughed. "What? How was that funny? They were about to eat me! Ugh, be quiet you. Yeah, yeah, you've had your laugh. Can we go now? I'm getting worried more and more about Merida, I think we've been away for too long." Toothless gave a snort and rolled his eyes, but let Hiccup get on his back without another sound, and the two took off to the skies. Hiccup let the flight back slow down his racing heart, that had been a very close call back there, if Toothless hadn't shown up when he did, he shuddered, too close. But on their second day out, Hiccup's thoughts switched from his close call to Merida, he was glad that Jack was keeping an eye on her, and that she was still alive and well. So why this feeling of doom, why the feeling that something was terribly, dreadfully wrong? He urged Toothless to go faster, but those feelings seemed to strengthen with every minute closer to Scotland. When they arrived on the northern shores where, almost a year before, he and Eret had met Jack Frost, the winter sprite was already there, apparently deep in thought. He glanced up when Toothless landed, a huge grin on his face.

"Hey, you did it, and you're back in one piece!"

"Yeah, barely, I can see why'd you want that spot, nasty crocodiles. I'll take a dragon any day."

Jack laughed, "Alright, you've made your point, though, you might want to have a different set of tactics for next time."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Oh, fine, whatever. What of Merida, do you know where she is?"

"Yup, under your nose this whole time, apparently she's been hiding out under the protection of your friends at The Edge. Though . . . "

"And Mavis?"

"Mavis had to be satisfied with losing to Merida's expertise in swordplay, apparently. All Heather's idea to try and keep the two from killing each other. But Heather is still mad at Mavis, and is en route to dropping her off somewhere before heading back to Berk. She might be on her way back now, actually."

"Good ole Heather!" Hiccup grinned.

"That's right, good ole Heather, you have no idea how much she's done to keep your precious princess alive. Now, there's two things you need to do when you get back to Berk, one, don't get all hysterical. And two, kiss your princess when you see her, got it? No matter what happens, or what you see, or what you hear, you kiss her, got it?"

Hiccup's smile vanished from his face, "I-I was already planning on that. Why are you telling me to do that?"

Jack sighed, "Just get going, will ya? You're running out of time." Hiccup's eyes grew wide, he now understood those feelings he had on the way back, something had happened to Merida, something bad. He didn't pause to ask Jack any more questions, he climbed onto Toothless, and the two took off.


	18. Myrsina: Hurry Home

"No matter what happens, or what you see, or what you hear, you kiss her . . . you're running out of time." Jack's words echoed in Hiccup's ears like words of doom. What had happened? Why didn't Jack or Heather do something? Or had Mavis slipped in something right underneath their noses, and that's why both Heather and Jack were upset? Heather especially, since she must have thought she could trust her sister and found out that she really couldn't. Hiccup could have paused to ask Jack, but Jack's final words held a sense of foreboding impatience, and Hiccup's own worries took hold of him. At least Jack didn't say Merida was dead, she might in fact be wounded. But the idea that she was wounded only made him urge Toothless on faster. They reached The Edge that evening, and Hiccup scoured the island for any signs of anybody, but there was nothing left but the ghostly footprints of where they had been. When he got back to the dragon cages, Toothless was already sound asleep. Hiccup sighed as he laid down next to the dragon, he wasn't sure if he would fall asleep. Somehow, he did, but his dreams were disturbing. The only image that he remembered when he woke up in a cold sweat the next morning was of Merida lying as if dead on the grass, an apple with a bite out of it not far from her hand.

Hiccup quickly fed Toothless some breakfast, his own stomach so full with worry that he couldn't take a bite of anything. When Toothless was finished eating, they took off again, heading straight for Berk. Toothless, understanding that Hiccup wouldn't rest easy until he saw Merida, flew as fast as he could, the duo reaching Berk in record time, only a little while before the sun began to set. Hiccup dismounted Toothless as soon as they landed and glanced around, Berk seemed still, silent, and somber. Flags whipped around in the wind, but no other sound reached their ears. Hiccup and Toothless glanced at each other and took off running towards the hall. Hiccup paused, Jack told him not to get all hysterical, so he thought it was best if he paused quickly to slow down his racing heart and his worrying mind. The pause helped, but only for a bit. The need to know what had happened was so strong that Hiccup didn't waste another second, and opened the doors. Somehow, just about everyone in Berk was there, all with tearful eyes. Hiccup and Toothless slowly moved forward as the crowd parted to let them pass, Hiccup bracing himself for the worst. His mother met him first, her eyes red with crying as she gave him a quick hug.

"I-I'm so sorry, Hiccup," she whispered.

"Mom?" A new burst of tears trickled down her face, leaving her unable to answer, but she took Hiccup's arm and led him to the center of the hall. He stopped in his tracks when his eyes fell upon the item that everyone was gathered around, it was a coffin, a glass coffin. His heart practically stopped when he recognised who laid within. Her fiery red curls were hard to miss, though it was arranged around her prettily. Toothless nudged him forward as Hiccup's friends moved away from the coffin. Hiccup took a shaky step forward, his brain still registering what he was seeing. He collapsed to his knees in front of the coffin and placed his hand on the cold glass. Why, why didn't Jack tell him? Why didn't he just tell him, that Merida was dead? The whole conversation flashed through his head for some reason as he looked at her pale form. He certainly wasn't acting hysterical, but did Jack really expect him to kiss a cold corpse?

"No matter what . . . kiss her," the words echoed authoritatively in his mind. Hiccup let out a shaky sigh, his sorrow so great that he could barely lift the coffin lid. Gobber stepped forward to help, holding it open so Hiccup could touch her still form. Hiccup paused when his hand touched hers, it still felt warm! It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him, Jack had been right, she was still alive! So why did she look like she was dead? Perhaps Heather had the answer, perhaps Jack did too, but Jack also had given Hiccup the way to wake her up. His hands shaky now with hope, he placed them on either side of her head, and bent forward to kiss her. Hiccup heard everyone gasp when their lips touched, and he felt a kind of surge emitting from them. He brought up his head just in time to see a ring of fiery red disappear into the walls, the same fiery red that had been in the phial he hid for Jack. Another gasp caught his attention, and he swung his head around, Merida was breathing! Her sky blue eyes opened, and Hiccup gave a shout, helping her up out of the coffin as cheers went up from the crowd.

"Merida, you're alive, thank the gods, you're alive!" He pulled her grinning face to his for another kiss, catching her as her legs seemed give out from under her. "Mer?"

Her stomach growled as she laughed, "I'm so hungry, I could eat like a bear, or even eat a whole bear!" She gave a little yelp when Hiccup scooped her legs up with his arm. "You don't have to carry me like a wee baby, Hiccup."

"Well, if you can't exactly walk very well, I have to," he grinned in reply. Merida rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her to a table. "Now, let's get you something to eat."


	19. Myrsina: Apple of My Eye

Eret and Astrid flew off immediately for Scotland, ready to begin their honeymoon, and to let the Scots know that Merida was safe, that she and Hiccup, followed by the rest of the Hairy Hooligan tribe, would be coming to Scotland in about a week, giving Merida time to get back her strength and Morrigan time to finish healing. When they arrived a week later, the Scots held a huge welcoming party for the safe return of their princess. Before the night was out, the whole story was known, including Jack Frost's and Heather's parts. Elinor practically babied her daughter that night, making sure she was alright, Hiccup wasn't much better. But by the next morning, they knew that Merida was back to her old self again, and things went about like normal, if one could call brawling over who got which dragon was normal. They finally got it all straightened out, letting Hiccup get a chance to talk to Fergus and Elinor about something very important, his mother nearby as support. Merida's curiosity was peaked when she noticed them talking, and a hope about what they were talking about practically lit up her face.

"Merida, why are you smiling like that? You'd think Hiccup's proposed to you," remarked Astrid, noticing the radiance on her friend's face.

Merida pointed in Hiccup's direction, "Not yet, but I think it'll be soon. He was at the smithy all week, and all Valka, Gobber and he could tell me was that he was making something. Now he's talking to my parents, it would make sense, wouldn't it? He makes the ring, and then asks my parents for my hand in marriage."

Astrid laughed, "I wouldn't be surprised. It just amazes me how fast you figure him out, he won't be able to keep you in the dark for long, regardless of how well he plans." The two chuckled before their attention was attracted to the twins and Young MacIntosh. Tuffnut was moaning and groaning, making it quite clear he didn't like MacIntosh one bit, but MacIntosh and Ruffnut were ignoring him, openly flirting with each other. However, Fishlegs and Wee Dingwall were vying for Heather's attention, while Snotlout went around trying to get anyone's attention, and Young MacGuffin was busy bonding with his dragon.

"I wish the best of luck to Snotlout, he doesn't even look phased."

Astrid laughed, "Well, considering that Ruffnut, Heather, and I have all turned him down multiple times, I think he's kinda used to it by now." The two laughed, watching the rest of the proceedings as the Scots finally matched up with their dragons. The celebration continued that evening as Hiccup proceeded to tell the Scots a few things about dragons, and what they would have to change to incorporate them into their lives. It was after dinner that the second most exciting thing of the day happened, but it was probably by far the most important. Hiccup presented Merida with a golden necklace. The pendant was a onyx dragon encircling a bear made from tiger's eye, the jewels caught the setting sun just perfectly as reds and oranges bounced off the gems to everyone's amazement.

"Hiccup, you made this? It's lovely!" breathed Merida. She glanced up at him, her face glowing with wonder, he was certainly amazing. Hiccup's breath was just about taken away with how beautiful she looked in her sky blue dress with the sunlight bouncing off her skin.

"Um, th-thank you. Ah!" Hiccup nearly toppled over. He grinned sheepishly, "Uh, stupid peg leg, give me a sec.' He knelt down to fiddle around with it, fixing it up as best as he could. Merida rolled her eyes, of course, the stupid peg leg. "Um, Merida?" She glanced down at him, still on one knee, and gasped. He held up a ring, the most fantastic, most creative, most beautiful ring she had ever seen. It was a golden dragon circled in on itself, a celtic knot engraved on its partially unfurled wings, and a ruby set in the middle of the knot. "Merida? Will, will you take this ring as a token of our engage-engage . . . oh! Will you marry me?!" Time seemed to slow and everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for Merida's answer.

Merida stood up," Of course I will, ya silly fish! True love's kiss saved us twice, I would be stupid not to marry ya!" Hiccup laughed, all tension gone from his shoulders as he slipped the ring onto Merida's right hand. Everyone cheered as he rose and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Well, now we have to plan for a wedding! When will it be? Where will it take place?"

"Um . . ." Merida and Hiccup glanced at each other, they hadn't exactly thought that far ahead.

"Well, it would have to be here, we can't fit everybody on Berk," Hiccup pointed out.

"And maybe next summer? Wait, maybe autumn, so Jack Frost can come too," suggested Merida. Hiccup glanced down at her and grinned, nodding his approval. That would give them roughly a year to plan, plenty of time. Hiccup glanced at Valka and Elinor, their mothers would probably handle most of it, though.

"And the honeymoon?"

"Wherever the wind takes us, duh," blurted Merida.

"Well, there are a few places I had in mind, but that's close enough," grinned Hiccup. The crowd cheered, it was about time the two of them got married, considering they were probably the last two of their people who would have considered it. But they didn't pay any mind as their foreheads touched ever so gently. They felt at home in each other's arms, she a wonderful world he wanted to continue exploring, and he the apple of her eye.


	20. Ever After: Incident at the Reception

"A toast, to the happily married couple, bringing peace to two different cultures that were once at war."

"Here, here!" came a chorus of voices in reply to Valka's toast.

"Except we're still at war with Vikings, just not any Hairy Hooligans," quipped Chief Dingwall. Laughter resounded at his comment. Hiccup placed a hand over his eyes, sighing, this was going to take some getting used to. At least Merida was as annoyed with it as he was, rolling her eyes at the comment. Hiccup snuck a peek at her, she was breathtaking in her off-white dress, accents of red and green apples appearing here and there, only adding emphasis on her red hair and sky blue eyes. When he first saw her as she walked down the aisle on her father's arm, his breath was taken away. She looked not only beautiful, but also radiant, almost like the crisp, autumn sky outside the walls of the castle. He couldn't wait to ride Toothless beside her and Morrigan, heading off to their honeymoon. He was thinking of hitting Duloc and Paladia first before letting the wind take them wherever.

Gobber interrupted the happy moment, "Well, time for a little dancing! And maybe a little dreaming!" Hiccup groaned, he knew what Gobber was getting at, and he really didn't want to do it in front of a whole crowd. Thank the gods for his mother.

"No, no, that's not how it's done, Gobber! The bride must dance with her father and the groom with his mother before they have their first dance!" On second thought, maybe not. He glanced up at a snickering figure, Jack would just get a kick out of his inability to sing.

"Oh, right, of course. Music!" Fergus took Merida to the floor first, the two dancing and laughing away at some joke between them. Hiccup couldn't wait to actually dance to with her, it was just the singing part that Gobber suggested that they do. Hiccup sighed, maybe they didn't have to sing after all, his mother might not be ready to hear that song again. Soon it was Hiccup's and Valka's turn to dance. He spun her around the floor, looking ever so elegant in her green dress. With the way she acted, one wouldn't have known she had lived for twenty years among dragons. Then again, living for twenty years among dragons tended to give one training in flexibility, sure-footing, and gracefulness.

"Um, mom?"

"Mmm-hmm?"

"Should Merida and I do, you know, that song? The one you and dad did?"

Valka blinked at him before smiling, "Hiccup, you and Merida should choose your own song. If you don't have it yet, go out and find it. It should be the one that means the most to you, that describes your relationship."

"Um, yeah, the thing is, it kinda does."

"Then what's stopping you?"

"The memory of dad."

The song stopped, and Valka looked in her son's eyes, "It's time to move on, Hiccup. Let it be your father's wedding present to you." Hiccup gulped and nodded, maybe it was time to do it after all. Finally, it was time for Hiccup's and Merida's first dance as a married couple. Hiccup could feel his heart pounding as he led his wife out to the dance floor, Gobber and Jack all ears for the song. Hiccup almost didn't do it, but he mustered everything he had, and, putting all of his love for Merida into the words, began to sing, slowly and softly.

"I'll swim and sail the savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning, and gladly ride the waves of life, if you will marry me. No scorching sun nor freezing cold will stop me on my journey . . ."

"Oh how splendid. Am I too late for presents?" crooned an all too familiar voice.

"Mavis!" gasped Heather.

Hiccup grabbed Merida's arm and pulled her behind him, much to her annoyance, "What do you want now, Mavis?"

"To give my present to the happy couple. My present to you is this happy day, and maybe a year, depending on how long it takes."

"How long what takes?" asked Merida, slipping from behind Hiccup to stand next to him.

"A very special spell that will take away all happy endings." Gasps went up from the crowd as the color drained from the couple's faces.

"Y-you're only giving us a year to enjoy our happy ending?" began Merida. She glanced worriedly at Hiccup. What were they going to do now? What could they do to stop her?

Mavis' laughter broke their gaze, "That's right, just one year, and then an eternity of unhappy endings. I hope you'll enjoy it." With a cruel smile Mavis turned and walked away, having ruined the happy mood of the day. Hiccup returned his gaze to Merida, she wasn't going to stop until someone was dead. Valka and Elinor walked briskly to their children.

"Don't let her announcement worry you. We can start looking for a way to stop her while you're on your honeymoon."

"You can help us when you return, but not until then, understand?" Elinor finished. The couple nodded mutely. Hiccup glanced up, and let out a breath of relief, Jack Frost was gone, he was already working on it. They could enjoy it if Jack was on the job.

"Nice job, Mavis, you really had them worried. I'll admit, you even had me shaking for a bit," grinned the winter sprite as he sat next to the black-cloaked witch.

Mavis snickered, "Glad to have had the desired effect, even on you. What now? I don't even have the recipe for the spell! Where should I even start?"

Jack tilted his head, "Well, maybe you should check out that wizard's house, you know, the one your mom stole the staff from? He might have it, or might have the information of the person who does."

Mavis sighed, "It will certainly take a while, glad to have your help."

"Well then, let's get started looking. You said a year, that's what we've got. Time's a ticking." With that, Jack flew off, and Mavis began her search.


	21. Ever After: Another Reason

As Hiccup and Merida's first year anniversary drew nigh, the tension grew taut like a branch about ready to snap. Nothing had been found, and no one had seen or heard from Jack Frost. Hiccup was starting to worry as there could only be two reasons for Jack's disappearance, either he had been captured, or he had joined forces with Mavis. Hiccup couldn't believe the second one, so the first was the only possible explanation. There was a third, a less dire one, Jack was simply keeping Mavis from getting everything she needed for the spell, in which case, he could be quickly forgiven. With everything Jack had done for Hiccup and Merida, and many others as the two had found out on their honeymoon, there was no way he would join forces with Mavis. Hiccup ran his hand over his face and through his hair, letting out a breath, Jack was basically doing all the work, and Hiccup just had to sit back and wait, which he didn't want to do. He got up from his desk and stretched, he had been at it for the past week. If Jack was taking care of it, then Hiccup should use this time to spend happy days with his family. He walked into the bedroom, Merida stood by the window, Toothless and Morrigan napping next to the bed. Hiccup wrapped his arms around her and kissed her face before rubbing her round belly.

"Any day now," sighed Merida.

"For what?" asked Hiccup, his face buried in her red curls.

"Before she comes." She glanced down at her belly, both of their hands clasped over it, a little kick sent warmth through their hearts. Smiles spread on their faces as she leaned into him, and he held them both tight. Any day now would be nice, Jack. A loud pounding at the door startled the two out of their happy moment. Hiccup rushed to the door, throwing it open.

"Yes, what is it?" he asked the panting Viking standing there.

"J-Jack Frost . . . is here!" Hiccup's eyes grew wide and started to walk through, but the Viking grabbed his arm. "Sir, he was carrying ingredients, for her spell! Said he was bringing them to her!" Hiccup staggered back, Jack was working for Mavis? He turned at the sound of a sharp gasp, Merida's pregnant form stood clasping the railing for support, her eyes wide from the news. They had trusted him! Hiccup's fists clenched and he gritted his teeth.

"Lock him in the dungeon. I'll be there shortly," he growled. The Viking gave a quick nod and ran off to carry the verdict. Hiccup calmly, but tensely, closed the door, his hand returning to a fist when he let go of the knob. He turned to Merida, he could see the same anger flashing in her eyes. How could he do this to them, to all of them? Had he helped them just to take it all away? Hiccup calmed himself down before speaking.

"H-he must have a reason," he tried to reason.

Merida's blazing eyes shot up at him, "What reason would he have to work with her? A deal? Is that all he'll do, make deals? He doesn't care about anyone!"

Hiccup took her by the shoulders, "Not now, Mer, let me handle this. You have the baby to think of. Maybe, maybe I can make a deal with him, get him to tell me something about the spell, some way to stop it or to reverse it, anything. I'll be back." Merida gave a nod as he kissed her before walking out, Toothless tailing him. Morrigan sat next to Merida, giving her silent support and comfort.

Hiccup and Toothless got to the dungeon just as the guards locked up Jack Frost, his wintery staff placed in a corner far from the cell. Hiccup paused, this didn't seem like the same winter sprite he had invited to his wedding almost a year ago. The old Jack Frost was fun and cheerful, this one was moody, a sorrow deep in his eyes. Maybe Jack was up to something, he must have come here to keep Mavis from getting the last ingredients, though it wouldn't be long before she figured out he had been captured and come to set him free. Hiccup sent the guards away, wanting to speak alone with Jack, Toothless the only backup he needed.

"What are you doing, Jack?" he whispered. He wanted to know, needed to know, that there was still something of his old, care-free friend in there. A mischievous grin appeared on his face, making it seem colder than it already was.

"You know the rules, Master Chief, I only work with deals." Hiccup's face went taut with calm dread, this was nothing more than a game, just another deal, to him.

"What's your price?" Hiccup kept his voice under control, though his body shook with rage.

"I want to see your little family together."

"She hasn't been born yet."

"I know." Jack's face crept closer to the bars. "Do we have a deal then, Master Chief? The sight of your family for the information you seek."

"I-I'll think about it."

"Don't take too long, she'll be by soon to pick up the last of the ingredients."

Hiccup rose to leave, feeling sick to his stomach, but paused for one final question, "What happened to you, Jack? This isn't the friend I invited to my wedding."

"Who said I was your friend?" Hiccup let out a shaky breath before walking out of the dungeon, Toothless giving Jack a snort before following. Jack crawled to the back of the cell, his face morphing into his true feelings. He glanced at the moon just peeking over the horizon. "I hope this is worth it, Manny."

"Are you sure you want to do this, Merida?" Hiccup asked as he led his wife through the dungeons.

Merida nodded before glancing at her husband, "For the final time, yes! We're already almost there, what's the point of asking me now?"

Hiccup sighed, "Because I was kind of hoping to change your mind." Merida rolled her eyes as a guard greeted them, taking the torch from Hiccup. "Alright, Jack Frost, my wife is here to speak to you, you'd better answer her questions, or else," growled Hiccup. The pale being moved to the bars, his ice blue eyes penetrating down to their very souls.

A grin spread across his face, "Wonderful to see you, Princess Merida. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"I want to know what Mavis is planning and how we can stop it."

"My, my, you know that I need something in return."

"What?"

"The name of your child."

Merida's hand went instinctively to her round tummy, "Fine, it's a deal."

"Good, Mavis is making a spell that will transport us all to another world, a world without magic. Part of the spell will erase all of our memories of this world, and might make some of us change our names." Hiccup and Merida glanced at each other with worry.

"So how do we stop it?"

Jack shrugged, "You can't stop it, but . . . there is a way to reverse it."

"How?"

Jack pointed at the round belly, "That child is our only hope. You must send her away to Earth to spare her from the spell, she will return to us on her twenty-sixth birthday. That is when Mavis' spell shall begin to weaken, it won't be long after that that the spell will be broken."

Merida breathed, "Thank you." She turned around to walk away, there was hope after all, even if it meant not being able to watch her little one grow up.

"Wait, we had a deal! You promised to give me the name of your child!"

Merida turned back around with a little smile on her face, "Mary Katherine."


	22. Ever After: The Magic Door

Two days later, Jack was overheard by one of the guards muttering something about a magical door that could send people to Earth that was located in Zinnia. The guard ran to tell the news to his Chief, the first real smile spreading on Jack's face since the wedding. The couple were elated at the news, there was a way to get Mary Katherine to Earth! They just had to find it, Zinnia wasn't exactly the smallest of countries. With Merida and the unborn Mary Katherine staying with the Dunbrochs and Valka taking charge of Berk, Hiccup and Toothless left for Zinnia to see if they could find it, Prince Antonio eagerly joining them. When they arrived, they found that they weren't the only ones looking for it. Apparently King Daniel and Queen Odette of Enchantia and King Eric and Queen Clara of Parthenia wanted to send their daughters through the door as well. With the extra eyes, Hiccup figured that they should split up, he and Antonio would head to the southern border of Zinna while Eric and Daniel would head to the northern border, starting at the capital in the middle. They found it the day they started their search, it was tucked away in a little tunnel not far from the castle. The four were ecstatic at their good luck and separated to return home to prepare for the trip through the door.

Meanwhile, back on Berk, a dark figure flitted through the dungeons, stopping at the cell where a pale figure laid.

"Where have you been? Your year is almost up," Jack stated, not even glancing at the figure peering through the bars.

"Well, it wasn't my fault you got caught. Whose side are you on anyway? Mine or theirs?"

Jack heaved a sigh as he rose, "Looks like nobody's at the moment, except maybe the highest bidder. You gonna get me out?"

Mavis shook her head, "Just hand over those last ingredients, and I promise you that you'll be the richest man in the whole town."

"Is that the best you can offer?"

"Yes, what more could you want?"

"My family back."

Mavis' eyes widened for a second before she answered coolly, "I'll see what I can do about that. Now, hand them over." Jack scanned her face before reluctantly slipping the dreamsand and the feather through the bar and into her hands. "Nice doing business with you, Jack Frost, I hope you'll like your new life." She turned and walked out, disappearing into the night wind.

"I kept them from her as long as I could, the rest is up to you now."

Merida went into labor the next day, giving birth to a healthy, baby girl. They waited two days before the young family took off for Zinnia, knowing their time was running short. Some of the riders went with them a ways, among them Eret, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Heather. The riders were to hold back Mavis as long as they could, hopefully giving Hiccup, Merida, and Mary Katherine time to get through to Earth. But even the best plans go awry.

The Nighfuries landed in the field just outside of the door, two other families already there, waiting.

"There you are, we were beginning to worry about you!" Odette exclaimed. Introductions were made, Hiccup seeing the two princesses for the first time, and getting introduced to Clara's Aunt Elizabeth.

"Aunt Elizabeth has traveled all over the world! She would be the best person to help us adjust to the new world."

Hiccup looked at the older woman with admiration, "I would like to hear some of your stories, if you don't mind."

Elizabeth shook her head, smiling, "Not at all, I wouldn't mind a few extra members to my audience."

Hiccup grinned, "Great, thanks!"

"Hiccup, Merida, get through the door, now!" yelled a voice. The group spun to see Eret disappear as a blanket of deep, dark blue-green clouds with shimmering, golden lighting rumbled forward, Mavis racing forward on Windshear, monsters flanking her on other dragons.

"Toothless!" called out Hiccup as he unsheathed his sword.

"Hiccup, no!" Hiccup pulled Merida's face closer with his free hand.

"I'm sorry, but we have to have time to get everyone through." He closed his mouth, he couldn't say another word, he didn't know if he would come back. He kissed her and Mary Katherine instead before climbing onto Toothless. "Come on bud, let's buy them some time!" He took off as some of the monsters dismounted their dragons. Daniel and Eric unsheathed their swords and met the onslaught head-on, Toothless' fireballs giving them a bit of an advantage. Elizabeth rushed to the magic door and opened it, a book falling at her feet as she stepped through.

"Odette, Clara, Merida, come on, quickly!" Merida was the first to respond, turning and rushing towards Elizabeth. She handed her Mary Katherine, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, please take care of her." She planted a kiss on her daughter's head before turning back around and jumping on Morrigan's back, readying her bow and arrows. Morrigan shot a few fireballs at the monsters on the ground, helping out Daniel and Eric, before rushing to Hiccup's and Toothless' sides.

"Merida, what are you doing?"

"For better or for worse, you idiot!"

"But . . ."

"Mary Katherine's already through." Merida glanced at Hiccup, "I-I don't want her to lose her father, nor I my husband." Hiccup gave a slight nod, and the two plunged at Mavis. They twisted and swerved, the dragons firing at Windshear's saddle to topple Mavis. But Mavis deflected each one with red lightning bolts. Hiccup let out a yelp, one had hit him, sending him and Toothless to the ground.

"No! Hiccup!" screamed Merida as she and Morrigan shot off after them. Toothless managed to catch his unconscious rider, rolling with him on the ground. Merida alighted as soon as Morrigan landed, rushing to the two. Toothless revealed Hiccup's body as she got close, Merida instantly checking for vital signs. She let out a shaky sigh of relief, "He's still alive." Two screams attracted her attention. She glanced up, Clara and Odette were in the arms of their husbands as the clouds engulfed them. Merida glanced through the tunnel where the magical door was hidden, Elizabeth still had it open. Merida shook her head, her eyes finding her child lying on the ground among the other two, and waved goodbye. Elizabeth caught the hint, nodded sadly, and closed the door. Merida rushed back to her husband as soon as the door was closed, the dark clouds mere seconds away. "Hiccup, wake up! Hiccup!"

"What's the use? You won't remember him, nor he you."

Merida glanced up, Hiccup's head in her lap, Toothless and Morrigan standing by defensively, "Why are you doing this Mavis? Why did you have to do this?"

"How else could I get my happy ending?" Mavis smiled before disappearing into the clouds. Merida placed her forehead against Hiccup's, holding to him tight as the clouds swirled around, the seconds ticking down to when the gap closed.

Merida kissed him, tears trickling down her face, "I'll find you and Mary Katherine. I love you, Hiccup."

(To be continued . . . s/11430569/1/A-Faraway-Land-1-The-Spell)


End file.
